By Dan Colton
for The Beacon

monica grunewald

Police allege a Sheboygan woman stabbed a man and held a knife to his throat last month.

According to police, Monica Grunewald, 37, was taken into custody Dec. 29 after a man called police from a locked bathroom to report a woman attacked him with a knife.

Earlier in the night, police said Grunewald was let into the alleged victim’s home by his roommate, despite having court orders not to. When the man arrived home and found Grunewald with his roommate, court records say he instructed her to leave. Police said Grunewald ignored the request and instead began questioning the man about where he’d been that night.

Grunewald was asked to leave a second time, according to authorities, when she rushed the man and began to strike him with her fists and feet.

As the victim attempted to back away, police say he tripped and fell to the ground.

“Grunewald jumped on (the alleged victim) while he was on the ground and began to scream at him until (the roommate) pulled her off,” the criminal complaint reads.

After the two were separated, police said Grunewald took a kitchen knife from a knife block and cut the alleged victim on his left tricep (the back of his upper arm). The roommate again stopped the alleged assault and the alleged victim went into another room.

Court records say Grunewald began to clean up spilled oil she’d thrown and seemed to calm down.

“Grunewald was cleaning up the olive oil she spilt,” the criminal complaint states. “Grunewald appeared to be in a good mood, however, all of a sudden she came at (the alleged victim) with a different kitchen knife.”

Police said she pressed the knife against his throat and said, “I don’t care I’ll kill you.”

At that point, the man escaped and fled into the bathroom, locking the door behind him.

When officers arrived, authorities said Grunewald claimed she didn’t know how the oil had spilled. The roommate also told officers he’d only heard a verbal argument, but later said he’d seen Grunewald attack the man with a knife and “physically had to prevent Grunewald from stabbing him,” according to the criminal complaint.

Speaking with officers, the alleged victim disclosed additional alleged criminal behavior on the part of Grunewald.

He told police Grunewald tracked down his car Dec. 25 while it was parked near a friend’s house and deflated his vehicle’s tires, authorities said, and wrote a profane message with shaving cream on his car.

The alleged victim said he drove to a gas station to inflate his tires and went home. Once back, according to the criminal complaint, he smelled what he believed was alcohol in his bedroom and noticed a pillow was cut through.

“(The alleged victim) was told on December 29, by Grunewald, that she had used rubbing alcohol and peed on his bed,” according to the criminal complaint.

Grunewald faces counts of first degree recklessly endangering safety, endangering safety by use of a dangerous weapon, battery, disorderly conduct, and two counts of criminal trespass to a dwelling.

She faces up to 16 years imprisonment and $66,000 in fines. The charges of endangering safety by use of a dangerous weapon, battery, disorderly conduct and criminal trespasses all carry domestic abuse modifiers that may increase those penalties.

She posted $8,500 bond Jan. 3 and faces two additional misdemeanor charges in another open case filed the same day.

Update: According to court records, on May 18, 2020, Grunewald was found guilty due to no contest plea for misdemeanor charges of endangering safety by use of a dangerous weapon, disorderly conduct, and criminal damage to property. The remaining charges were either dismissed but read in, or dismissed on prosecutor’s motion.