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Crime & Safety

Complaint: Man Wakes Up in Emergency Room, Stabs Himself

Waukesha man has to be detained using rubber batons by police after he continues to stab himself with a box cutter after getting admitted to Waukesha Memorial Hospital, according to a criminal complaint.

A 42-year-old Waukesha man is charged after he repeatedly stabbed himself with a box cutter after waking up inside the emergency room at Waukesha Memorial Hospital, according to a criminal complaint.

Juan Cortes was charged in Waukesha County Circuit Court on Monday with one count of disorderly conduct with use of a dangerous weapon. If convicted, he faces up to 90 days in jail and $1,000 in fines.

According to the criminal complaint:

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At 5 p.m. Oct 15, Cortes was admitted to the emergency room hospital while passed out drunk. There was no room for him, so he slept on a gurney while staff took a blood sample and placed an IV in his arm.

Cortes woke up and began to pull the IV out of his arm, so he was admitted into a room in the emergency room. Staff said Cortes would become agitated then calm down. When asked if he wanted to be admitted to a detox unit, Cortes said "No, I like to drink." But a staff memer told police he said "you don't know me, I'm crazy."

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Cortes pulled out the box cutter and repeatedly stabbed himself in the thigh, the staff member told police.

A Waukesha police officer was called to the room where he found Cortes sitting on a bed and still stabbing himself in the thigh, arms and neck. He commanded him to stop, but Cortes continued, the complaint states, so the officer called for backup.

Eventually more officers arrived with shields, Tasers and rubber baton rounds. Three baton rounds were deployed at Cortes in order to get him to stop. He was then placed in handcuffs and taken into protective custody.

Cortes is being held in Waukesha County Jail on $500 bond while awaiting trial.

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