By Patricia Bogumil
Editor
A possible dispute over illegal drugs not taken for awhile, as well as the issue of who should sit in the Lazy Boy chair, allegedly lead to an attempted first-degree homicide charge filed against one of three Michigan men selling meat to Milwaukee bars from the back of a van.
The incident also left the victim with a four-inch gash to his neck that required 25 stitches both on the inside and outside of his neck to close.
Charged in the incident is Nathaniel Collins, 53, of Detroit.
According to the complaint filed in Racine County Circuit Court:
Racine County Sheriff’s deputies were called to the Citgo Gas Station and Wendy’s Restaurant area at 611 South Sylvania Avenue on the west frontage road by the Interstate about 3 a.m., July 23.
Deputies located the victim, age 22, inside the restaurant with a cut to his neck.
A 42-year-old witness, who owns the van in which all three men were riding, said he had stopped to buy food at the restaurant and while he was inside, the victim ran in holding the left side of his neck, stating “Nate cut me!”
The witness said he went outside to talk with Collins, who said the victim “tried to put his hands on me.” Collins was then seen walking northbound toward the Burlington RV store across the road.
The witness said a Lazy Boy chair in the back of the van is a source of contention, with unwritten rules about who gets to sit or sleep in it while the van is traveling.
He also stated that inside the van’s center console was a foldable knife with a blade 4 to 6 inches long.
The victim said he had been sitting in the Lazy Boy chair when they pulled in at Wendy’s.
He said when he returned to the van with his food, Collins was sitting in the chair and he asked Collins a few times to get up.
He said Collins did, but then turned around swinging at him and he felt blood running down his neck and ran away.
Collins then began chasing after him, yelling that he would kill the victim, who then ran back into Wendy’s and requested help.
The victim said there had not been any kind of physical confrontation with Collins before being cut.
He said he believes Collins uses cocaine, but had not seen Collins use any this trip. He speculated that Collins might have been agitated by not taking drugs for a few days.
He also said Collins seemed upset about an argument with a girlfriend that took place a few hours earlier.
The victim was transported to St. Mary’s Medical Center for treatment of the neck laceration.
Collins was located by deputies a few miles north of the scene and transported to the Racine County Jail.
He made an initial appearance in court July 23, at which time probable cause was found that he had committed the crime with which he is charged.
A preliminary hearing is set for Aug. 1, when a judge will determine whether the case should be set for trial.
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