Posted: 7/27/07
UPDATED
RC woman stabbed, suspect in custody
 Steven Pawliszko drove his vehicle through Penny Peters garage door before entering her home and stabbing her multiple times. By late Thursday morning, neighbors had already cleaned up the mess. |
By Patrick Tepoorten
This is an update of a story that ran yesterday on the Post Review Web site
Were it not for the yellow crime scene tape, there would be no way to tell that a quiet neighborhood in Rush City was the scene of a frenzied assault in the early morning hours of July 26. The victim, 45-year-old Penny Peters, is in stable condition.
The suspect, Steven David Pawliszko, 46, was at large and considered armed and dangerous until around 12:30 p.m., when he sought treatment for what investigators believe were self-inflicted wounds at Cambridge Medical Center. That was when an alert person at Cambridge Medical Center recognized Pawliszko from media coverage and called police.
Pawliszko is expected to be interviewed today, July 27, but some details are known. It is believed that Pawliszko was intoxicated at the time of the attack and at the time of his arrest.
His first court appearance will likely be on Monday, July 30, but whether he will be charged with aggravated assault, or attempted murder has yet to be determined. That decision will be made based on his interview and whether or not investigators can establish a murderous "mental state."
According to Chisago County Sheriff's Cpt. Keith Hoppe, Peters is expected to be released from the hospital today.
The Assault
The assault happened at approximately 2:30 a.m., July 26, at North Eliot Ave., a block north of the community pool. According to witnesses, Pawliszko crashed his 2002 Chevrolet Silverado truck through Peters' garage door and entered the house. Peters was stabbed multiple times before she was able to flee the residence.
Members of neighbor Cindy Becker's family heard the crash and, moments later, heard the door bell and saw Peters on the front porch. The Beckers brought her into their kitchen, called 911, and awaited an ambulance.
Becker's husband, Judd, ran outside in time to see Pawliszko's truck leaving the scene. For Cindy Becker, the assault was over almost as quickly as it started.
"The whole thing took maybe five minutes at the most," said Cindy Becker. "It happened all so fast."
According to Hoppe, Peters was stabbed between eight and 10 times, and Becker confirmed that most of the victim's wounds were to the torso area. "She was stabbed a couple of times in the rib cage, once in the back, once in the thigh, and twice in her side," she said.
Despite her injuries, Peters was lucid while at the Becker's. "She was alert the whole time, and we were keeping her alert until the ambulance came," she said.
Pawliszko, and the residence where the assault took place, has a history of domestic issues. The Sheriff's Office responded to two calls in September and October of 2006. In both instances, Pawliszko was the complainant. In May of 2007 Pawliszko was arrested for threatening Peters with a knife. He was served with an order for protection on May 18 and Hoppe believes he was removed from the residence at that time.
That Pawliszko assaulted Peters did not seem to come as much of a surprise to residents in the neighborhood. As they gathered outside the residence around 10 a.m. to find out what happened, one resident said simply, "Steve came back."
The Beckers were already trying to right some of the damage to the victim's house as of Thursday. The garage door was already taken down, and they were given clearance by Sheriff's investigators to clean up the crime scene.
Comment from Mary Pawliszko, 8/14/07
My name is mary pawliszko i just wanted to say that when i herd of my father stabbing the women who was always nice to us put me in a shock, i didn't know what to say or do. I love my father to death the only thing that we can do at this point is pray and hope he gets the help he needs and hopefully one day be able to come see me again. I'm not mad i just wish he could've got help before this happened. I will always love him and be there for him when he is better. ~mary~
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