By Shereen Siewert
Charges against the 64-year-old man accused of fatally shooting a Wausau woman and injuring two other victims at a Wausau cemetery were dismissed on Tuesday due to a filing error — but were immediately refiled.
Henry “Hank” West, who is being held on a $10 million cash bond in connection with the Oct. 3 shooting, faces charges of first degree intentional homicide, 11 counts of attempted first-degree intentional homicide, three counts of attempted arson, one count of arson of a building without the owner’s consent, and resisting or obstructing an officer.
West was due in court for an arraignment on Monday, Feb. 3. But the arraignment was canceled after a motion to dismiss was filed in Marathon County Circuit Court.
The dismissal was granted Feb. 4, and the arraignment was adjourned. West will now appear Wednesday for a second preliminary hearing on the charges. The first was held Dec. 11, during which Circuit Judge Greg Huber ordered West to stand trial.
West faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison if he is convicted of killing 52-year-old Patty Grimm, who was the manager at Pine Grove Cemetery, where the Oct. 3 shooting took place.
He is also accused of shooting William Buhse, 60, and Rosemelia Short, 70, who survived.
West was formerly employed at the cemetery but was terminated from his job in 2012. In the days leading up to the shooting he allegedly told a neighbor he planned to kill Grimm and desecrate her body.
The criminal complaint details West’s plan not only to kill Grimm, but also to kill first responders and residents in his apartment complex and nearby businesses with multiple incendiary devices discovered after the shootings.
The $10 million bond amount remains in place for West, who is being held in the Marathon County Jail. He’ll appear at 9 a.m. Feb. 5 for his next hearing.
