November 22, 2011
By Chris Hubbuch, LaCrosseTribune.com
A drunken day of deer hunting turned into domestic violence Saturday
when police say a convicted felon beat a woman and held a gun to her
head in the town of Medary.
Sheriff's deputies found the 21-year-old woman sitting on Hwy. B,
bleeding profusely from her head. Asked when the incident happened, she
replied "all day," according to reports.
Deputies found Matthew James, 35, at his home about a mile away with
scratches on his neck and blood on his jeans.
Another man said the three had been hunting near Melrose and James
and the woman were drinking heavily. He said James had a pistol and
fired a bullet into the dashboard of his Jeep.
The woman said James later hit her in the face, choked her and kicked
her while she was on the ground. He also pointed the pistol at her head.
Deputies were unable to locate the gun at the home, according to the
report.
James, who court records showed was convicted in a 1994 burglary, was
arrested on suspicion of first-degree reckless endangerment, substantial
battery, strangulation, going armed while intoxicated and being a felon
in possession of a firearm. He is expected to be charged Wednesday in La
Crosse County Circuit Court.
He was jailed Monday in lieu of a $10,000 cash bond.
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