KIEL (NBC 26) — A New Holstein man is now facing felony charges in connection with a fight outside a Kiel bar that left Cody Rautmann with multiple brain bleeds and in a medically induced coma.
The charges come a day after NBC 26 first reported the outpouring of support for Rautmann, a former Badger's Den employee whose family and friends have been rallying around him as he remains hospitalized.
According to a criminal complaint filed Friday in Manitowoc County, 55-year-old Chad Suttner is charged with aggravated battery and disorderly conduct stemming from the May 22 altercation outside Badger's Den in Kiel.
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Police say officers were called to the bar around 10:11 p.m. after receiving a report that a man had been knocked unconscious. When they arrived, they found Rautmann lying face down on the sidewalk, bleeding from his right ear.
Investigators say witnesses told them Rautmann had been punched in the head, causing him to fall and strike his head on the concrete.
According to the complaint, Rautmann appeared confused and became unresponsive at times while officers and paramedics tried to help him. Hospital staff later told police he suffered multiple brain bleeds.
Three days later, an ICU nurse told investigators Rautmann had been placed in a medically induced coma. The complaint states he was briefly brought out of the coma but had to be sedated again after attempting to remove his breathing tube. Medical staff told police his brain bleeds had stabilized but were still present.
Witnesses gave investigators different accounts of how the confrontation began.
Suttner's girlfriend told police the two men had been arguing before Rautmann threw the first punch, knocking Suttner to the ground. She said the men then moved out of her view before Suttner returned to his vehicle and drove away.
However, a bartender told police she witnessed Suttner strike Rautmann on the right side of the head through a window of the bar. She said Rautmann fell to the ground, hit his head on the concrete, and appeared unconscious for several minutes.
The complaint also alleges Suttner headbutted his girlfriend outside the bar while she was trying to calm him down. She told police it caused her pain, but said she did not want to press charges.
Police arrested Suttner the next morning at his workplace in Kiel.
According to the complaint, Suttner told officers he and Rautmann had argued inside the bar and that he punched Rautmann after being struck first.
The complaint states Suttner later told an officer he "never meant to hurt" Rautmann and that it would probably be best if he avoided confrontations.
If convicted, Suttner faces up to 15 years in prison on the aggravated battery charge.
He is scheduled to make his initial court appearance on June 1.
