Man already facing OWI-5 now charged in physical assault

CHIPPEWA FALLS — A Chippewa Falls man already charged with his fifth drunk-driving offense has now been charged with physically assaulting another person, including pointing a gun at said person.

Sharod D. Weaver, 51, 557 E. Park Ave., has been charged in Chippewa County Court with strangulation and suffocation, battery, intentionally pointing a firearm at another, and bail jumping.

Judge Benjamin Lane ordered Weaver be held on a $10,000 cash bond. If Weaver posts the cash bond, he cannot have any contact with the victims in this case or their residences. He also cannot possess or consume alcohol or dangerous weapons.

According to the criminal complaint, police were called Aug. 9 to a home in the city of Eau Claire in the portion located in Chippewa County for a report of a domestic abuse situation involving a firearm. The victim said Weaver pointed the gun at her face, and it occurred in front of her daughter.

The woman said Weaver grabbed her by her throat and she couldn’t breathe. He wrapped his arms around her tightly, and she could smell alcohol on his breath.

“Weaver blocked the front door, so (she) redirected her and her daughter to the bathroom,” the complaint reads. “Weaver shoved her into the bathroom and pinned her down. He pulled out a black handgun, pointed it in her face, and said he was going to destroy her.” The gun was inches from her head.

The victim was able to call police by using her smart watch. The officer observed some markings on her throat.

Weaver was recently charged with OWI-5 and bail jumping, stemming from an April 14 arrest. He was on bond with a requirement not to drink alcohol.

According to the criminal complaint, a Chippewa Falls police officer observed a vehicle driven by Weaver traveling at a high rate of speed on Park Avenue, and saw it cross the yellow center line.

The officer spoke to Weaver, and she observed signs of intoxication, and she saw a drink had spilled all over the front passenger floorboard. He failed field sobriety tests and a preliminary breath test showed a .225 blood-alcohol level, nearly three times the legal limit.

Weaver was taken to the Mayo Clinic in Bloomer for a blood draw. Weaver initially refused a blood draw, so Judge Lane ordered a search warrant to obtain the sample.

Weaver was arrested for his fourth drunk-driving offense in 2017, and he was convicted in 2019, court records show.