Wausau Pilot & Review

Portage County District Attorney Cass Cousins announced today that three men have  been formally charged in connection to the fatal assault taking place in downtown Stevens Point on the  night of March 15, 2024. 

Brandon L. Boehm and Christian J. Emerson, both of Wausau, and Arlin O. Sangster, of Rothchild, have all been charged in a criminal complaint filed today in Portage County Circuit Court with a single count of first degree reckless homicide as a party to a crime.

This is a Class B Felony for which each  defendant faces up to 40 years confinement in prison. Further, because of the age of the victim, the  maximum incarceration for each defendant is increased by 6 years.

Boehm has been  charged as a repeater due to his prior record of misdemeanor convictions and faces an additional 2 years of  initial confinement.  According to Point Plover Metro Wire, Emerson admitted during a police interview that he participated in the fatal assault on Donald G. Mitchell, Jr., who was unknown to the suspects. Metro Wire relied on court documents in its reporting.

The beating allegedly occurred in a parking lot on the south side of Cobblestone Hotel & Suites in downtown Stevens Point on March 15, Metro Wire reports. Mitchel, Jr. died in a Wausau trauma center on March 16 as a result of his injuries.

None of the suspects called 911, police said, and video posted to social media allegedly shows the victim lying on the ground, writing and moaning in pain, while the men left the scene and told him to “have a good night.” The video’s authenticity has been corroborated by police.

Boehm and Sangster have both surrendered to police and are being held in custody pending a  bond hearing on March 21. Emerson has been released from custody after posting a $50,000 cash  bond. He is presently scheduled for an initial appearance on April 3.  

Another individual, Daemon Kitzrow, was previously identified as a suspect in this incident. The Stevens  Point Police Department and the Portage County District Attorney’s Office determined from the  investigation and witness statements that he was not directly involved in the assault and will not be  prosecuted in connection to this incident. 

You are advised that a charge is merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.