Man gets probation related to couple stabbing each other during argument
Aug. 3—EAU CLAIRE — An Eau Claire man will spend two years on probation in connection with a case where a couple stabbed each other during an argument.
Bret P. Busse, 26, 1213 Carpenter Ave., pleaded no contest recently in Eau Claire County Court to a felony count of substantial battery.
A misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct was dismissed but considered at sentencing.
Judge John Manydeeds fined Busse $618 and ordered him to pay restitution, the amount of which has not yet been determined.
As conditions of probation, Busse cannot have contact with his co-defendant unless approved by his agent or commit physical or verbal acts or threats of violence toward anyone.
Busse must maintain absolute sobriety, and undergo an alcohol and drug assessment and any other recommended programming or treatment.
Co-defendant Daneka L. Moore, 23, of Chippewa Falls, was sentenced in January for a misdemeanor count of battery.
According to the criminal complaint:
Police responded to a residence in the 800 block of Stein Court at 10:30 a.m. Friday, Aug. 14, 2020, to a report of a stabbing.
Moore had told dispatchers she had been stabbed in the chest a few hours earlier and that Busse had already left the residence.
Officers arrived to find Moore lying on the front porch, wrapped in a blanket. She said she had trouble breathing, had some broken ribs and was experiencing head pain.
The woman said she was stabbed in her chest. The officer saw a circular puncture wound on the woman's chest that appeared to be deeper than a superficial cut.
The residence belonged to Moore's grandmother, who told police she was allowing Moore and Busse to stay there with their two children.
Busse told police he returned home late the night before and began arguing with Moore after she said she wanted to leave with the children. Busse said Moore grabbed a kitchen knife and pointed it at him.
They struggled over the knife, which resulted in cuts to Busse's fingers and a stab wound in his leg. Busse said he got control of the knife and threw it down.
When asked how Moore got stabbed in the chest, Busse said he guessed Moore was lying down when he threw the knife.
A search of the residence showed blood on the kitchen floor, hallway carpet and a bedroom. Authorities also found blood on a beach towel and paper towels. Moore was taken to Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire, where a nurse told police Moore had a punctured lung.
Despite learning Moore had a punctured lung, Busse denied stabbing her in the chest. Busse told police he did not remember hitting or kicking Moore as he was in a "black out" state of mind.
