Moorcroft man charged with attempted murder

A Moorcroft man faces charges of attempted murder and kidnapping after allegedly beating a woman and then fleeing to Nebraska after she stabbed him in the neck in self-defense.

On April 17 at around 7:30 p.m., an officer of Moorcroft Police Department was dispatched to a town residence in response to a domestic disturbance during which a male subject was stabbed with a knife.

On arrival, the officer observed the reporting party “moaning and obviously in intense pain”.

The woman, who claimed Michael Hammond had beaten her for an extended period of time, reportedly had an extremely swollen and bruised face and dry blood around her nostrils, as well as swelling and red marks around her neck and throat.

The alleged victim stated that her husband had left the scene.

The officer reports that he observed a blood trail from the driveway to the front door, the inside of which was covered in blood. He also observed objects all over the floor and chairs knocked over in the dining room.

In the kitchen, there was allegedly a large pool of blood on the floor with multiple knives lying around, as well as clumps of torn hair on the counter and on the floor.

According to the victim’s statement, Hammond had held her over the sink and attempted to fill her mouth with water, suffocating her so that she could not breathe, so she turned around and stabbed him in the neck.

The victim was transported to hospital, while Dispatch was asked to advice surrounding hospitals to be on the lookout for a male subject with stab wounds. The Division of Criminal Investigations (DCI) was notified and advised they would assist with the investigation.

The officer returned to the residence with a search warrant. Meanwhile, a member of the victim’s family in another part of the state informed police that they had received a phone call from Hammond, who said he was on his way to kill them; nearby sheriff’s offices were alerted.

A recording of this phone call was later obtained.

According to court reports, the victim said in a statement to DCI that Hammond had held her down on the floor, continuously kicked her in the stomach and crotch area, choked her around the neck and told her he was going to kill her.

The victim claimed to have attempted to flee the residence multiple times, but Hammond forced her back inside and continued to beat her.

According to the victim, Hammond had video called her on the way home from work. During the conversation, she noticed he had been consuming alcohol, though she said he is not a habitual drinker.

Hammond allegedly arrived home and began talking about an argument he had with a second member of the victim’s family, which she did not want to discuss.

At around 6:30 p.m., the victim said she was sitting on her porch when Hammond approached her and began striking her with a rake.

Later, the victim alleged she was sitting on the couch when Hammond grabbed her and threw her towards the door, where he began kicking her, kneeing her and choking her. Hammond is also alleged to have held her arms behind her back and slammed her face into the floors and walls, during which she was knocked unconscious for approximately ten minutes.

The victim stated that she was unsuccessful in defending herself as Hammond outweighs her.

According to News Channel Nebraska, Hammond was brought to hospital in Kimball. Upon release, he was arrested by the Scottsbluff Police Department.

Hammond has been charged with felony counts of strangulation of a household member, aggravated assault and battery, kidnapping and attempted secondary murder.

The first two crimes carry a maximum penalty of ten years of incarceration, while the latter pair are punishable by up to 20 years.