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A man who failed to show for a jury trial Wednesday in Mower County District Court and has since been arrested in Wisconsin, has been convicted of a felony count each for assault and threats of violence.

According to court records, Michael Drew Williams, 51, of Wykoff, was found guilty by a jury of second degree assault with a dangerous weapon and threats of violence in a case that dates back to 2021.

The judge also issued a warrant for Williams’ arrest for failing to appear for the trial, however, the Buffalo County Sheriff’s Office in Wisconsin, in the western side of the state along the border with Minnesota, has confirmed that he was recently arrested by their agency and is currently being held in custody. No details on the arrest were made available.

According to the court complaint for the 2021 case, Mower County Sheriff’s Office deputies were dispatched to the 100 block of East Read Street in LeRoy at around 12:30 a.m. on May 24 for a report of an assault with a knife.

One of the deputies met with the victim who said that Williams, who she dated eight years prior, had threatened her through text messages including one that read, “You will not help me so now I need to kill you or your friends or your family.”

A male at the scene, who had been talking with Williams, said Williams got out of the car and walked across the street to the victim, grabbing her by the throat with one hand and had a knife in the other hand. Another woman at the scene showed deputies a video of the incident which showed Williams grabbing the victim and bringing his right hand backward.

It also shows Williams pushing her away and going back to his vehicle, though deputies were not able to determine if he was holding a knife or not.

However, the male at the scene also told deputies that when he was talking to Williams at his car prior to the assault, he noted that Williams was holding a knife in his hand.

The male also said that Williams told him that he was going to kill the victim and that he would kill him as well if he got in the way. 

Both the victim and male said they were concerned that Williams would stab the victim.

The victim then called dispatch later that morning saying she had received more threatening texts that said “I will kill you on my time” and “I never should have let you live.”