By Shereen Siewert
A 27-year-old man charged in the near-fatal stabbing of a Wausau man was convicted Monday after reaching a plea deal that allowed for reduced charges in the case, which was filed in September 2017.
Aidan Dobbe, who is homeless, was originally charged in Marathon County Circuit Court with attempted first-degree intentional homicide in the near-fatal stabbing of a 23-year-old man. A five-day jury trial that was set to begin in May was delayed and rescheduled. But on Oct. 7 Dobbe pleaded no contest to two counts of aggravated battery/intentionally causing great bodily harm. Homicide and drug paraphernalia charges were dismissed but will be read in at sentencing.
According to the criminal complaint, Dobbe was celebrating his 25th birthday on Sept. 24, 2017 when he had a verbal altercation with the victim that quickly escalated. Witnesses told police Dobbe and the victim argued verbally before slapping each other outside a Third Street tavern minutes before the stabbing took place. Dobbe then walked away and into a nearby parking lot with the victim trailing behind.
When the victim’s friends next saw him, he was bleeding from the chest and collapsed on the ground. Police were called to the scene at about 1 a.m. Sept. 25, 2017 at the corner of Third and Jefferson Streets.
When the victim arrived at a local hospital, he was bleeding internally and in critical condition, court documents show. Without surgery and numerous blood transfusions, the victim would not have survived, police said.
As the victim was undergoing surgery, officers were setting up a perimeter around Dobbe’s house on S. 9th Ave. when they saw Dobbe approach, carrying a 6-foot metal pole. Officers pulled their weapons and ordered Dobbe to the ground, and he was taken into custody. He has been jailed on a $750,000 cash bond since his arrest.
Circuit Judge LaMont Jacobson ordered a presentencing investigation be completed before Dobbe’s Dec. 18 sentencing. Dobbe faces up to 30 years in the Wisconsin Prison System and up to $100,000 in fines.
