Bail is set at $5,000 for a man accused of punching a man repeatedly and fracturing his jaw outside of a bar in Salkum on Friday.
The defendant, identified as Cody Benjermin Edward Rider, 25, of Onalaska, allegedly attacked another man as he was leaving the bar on Friday, April 19, with the victim reporting “Rider knocked him out and he was told by other people Rider kept hitting him while he was unconscious,” according to court documents.
The victim was reportedly involved in a verbal dispute with a female employee at the bar shortly before the assault occurred. Both parties were intoxicated at the time, according to court documents.
At least three witnesses reported the victim was “face down on the ground holding his head while Rider was over him ‘pounding’ each side of his head with closed first,” according to court documents. One of the witnesses reported “Rider hit (the victim) at least 20 times while he was on the ground.”
When questioned by a Lewis County Sheriff’s Office deputy, Rider allegedly “said he was expecting contact with police about the incident” and reported the victim had been kicked out of the bar for repeatedly arguing with his wife, who was an employee at the bar. Rider said the victim “was getting physical with his wife” after he was kicked out, “so (Rider) stepped in, and (the victim) tried to hit him,” according to court documents.
Rider reported the victim missed, he struck the victim, “and they wrestled on the ground.” He reportedly “would later say that he only punched (the victim) one time after (the victim) punched him.”
The victim reportedly had “visible injuries to (his) face” when a deputy contacted him. He reportedly admitted to getting into an argument with his wife at the bar and leaving the bar with someone else, though his account of who he left with differed from the other witness accounts. The victim reported that “while outside the bar, Rider approached him and punched him with a closed fist,” adding that “he lost consciousness and only remembers Rider being taken to a vehicle after regaining consciousness,” according to court documents.
Hospital staff later confirmed the victim had sustained a broken jaw, according to court documents.
“(There are) allegations that it was unprovoked,” Judge Joely Yeager said of the assault, noting Monday that Rider was charged with one count of second-degree assault, which is a class B felony.
While the prosecution asked for bail to be set at $25,000 due to the seriousness of the charges, defense attorney Rachael Tiller argued for Rider’s release on unsecured bail, noting that Rider has “extremely limited history” and “no similar convictions on his record.”
“I know that he has pretty significant mitigating circumstances that will come out in court,” Tiller said Monday.
“Some bail is warranted,” Yeager said Monday, acknowledging Rider’s lack of criminal and warrant history by setting a relatively low bail amount.
Arraignment is scheduled for May 2. An anti-harassment order protecting the victim is in place.
