Moorcroft man arrested for aggravated assault

Moorcroft resident Michael Wiese was arrested earlier this month on charges of aggravated assault after allegedly kicking a door down and pulling a knife on a victim.

On October 9, a Moorcroft Police Officer was dispatched at around 8:30 p.m. to a home for a report of a violent incident. The reporting party had informed Dispatch that Wiese had broken down a door and left the residence, but then returned.

When the officer arrived on scene, he separated the two and spoke to Wiese. The officer reports that Wiese that the alleged victim had been drinking all day and was making suicidal statements.

According to reports, he claimed the victim had actually been the aggressor and had lunged at him, grabbed his shirt and slammed his foot in a door. The officer reports being unable to see any marks on Wiese’s person or clothing consistent with being grabbed or scratched.

The officer then spoke with the victim, who was “visibly upset and appeared to be stressed.” The victim stated that the two had been arguing throughout the day and the argument had begun to escalate after 4 p.m.

According to the victim, Wiese left the room while the victim eventually left the residence for a period of time. Once the victim returned, the arguing allegedly continued.

The victim left the room once again “to get some space from Wiese”. Wiese then allegedly came to the door and asked for his dog and keys.

The victim reports letting the dog out of the room, but being unaware of where the keys were. Wiese allegedly then left, before coming back and kicking in the door (which had been blocked with a dresser) and pushing the victim.

When the victim pushed back, Wiese allegedly pulled a black pocket knife. The victim claimed to have questioned his actions, at which point Wiese walked away.

The officer reports investigating the room in which the incident allegedly occurred. He observed that the door was broken off its hinges, the dresser was broken and breaks on the door jamb indicated it had been kicked or pushed in.

Two children were allegedly present at the time of the incident. While waiting for the Department of Family Services (DFS) to send a representative, the officer placed Wiese in handcuffs in his patrol vehicle.

Wiese allegedly told the officer that the knife was located in a drawer in the kitchen. The officer found the knife in the location specified and the victim confirmed that it looked like the one Wiese had pulled.

The DFS representative then arrived and spoke with the children, who allegedly offered statements that supported there being regular arguments between Wiese and the victim, and that an argument had taken place that day.

Wiese was arrested on a count of aggravated assault and battery, a felony carrying a maximum penalty of ten years’ incarceration, a $10,000 fine or both. He was also charged with a misdemeanor count of domestic battery, second offense, with one known prior conviction from 2017 in Nevada.