Three charged after two people stabbed

EAU CLAIRE — Three people face charges after two people were stabbed in what authorities describe as a botched attempt to recover a loan.

Ivy Leonard, 24; Caleb Bertrang, 23; and Brandon Pember, 37 each face charges stemming from the April 18 incident. Leonard is charged with armed robbery and two counts of aggravated battery. Bertrang and Pember face charges of armed robbery and bail jumping.

According to the criminal complaint, police were initially called to Eau Claire Fire Department Station 2 for a report of a man with a stab wound. When an officer arrived, firefighters were treating him before he was taken to the hospital.

The man’s girlfriend said he had taken her to a house to retrieve her makeup and, while she was there, four men with bandanas tied over their faces entered. One had a baseball bat and another had a gun, which was later found to be a BB gun made to resemble a semi-automatic rifle.

When she screamed, the victim went into the home and was able to pull her out. They noticed the stab wound in the man’s lower back after getting outside.

While police were investigating, they received word of a different man who was dropped off at the Mayo hospital with a similar stab wound. Evidence eventually linked that stabbing to the same incident.

Police learned the men had entered the residence where the stabbings took place seeking to recover what was described by multiple people as a $100 loan to a woman who lived there. one of the witnesses said Betrang and Pember “entered her bedroom and said ‘Gimme all your s—.’”

There are varying accounts of what happened next. The initial stabbing victim denied having been in a fight, saying he was stabbed “as soon as he entered the residence.” Others, including Leonard, say he entered armed with a hammer and a brawl broke out.

Leonard told investigators she was not in the residence when the victim entered, but went in concerned about the fight that began. She thought at first the hammer was a gun, so she was armed with a fixed-blade knife.

Leonard said she saw Bertrang being beaten and “admitted she stabbed both ES and RH in the back.” The complaint said her action was “a quick reaction to seeing Bertrang getting beaten up.”

The knife was later discarded in a storm drain near Boyd Park.

Armed robbery is the most serious charge filed in the case. It’s a Class C felony, which carries a potential penalty of up to 40 years in prison and fines of up to $100,000. The aggravated battery charges are Class H felonies carrying the potential for six years in prison and fines of up to $10,000.

Court records show Leonard is eligible for a public defender, though one has not yet been assigned. Bertang is due in court next week, while Pember is scheduled for arraignment on June 12.