Barron County (WQOW) - A Barron County woman is in the hospital fighting for her life. Her husband has been charged with attempted homicide.
Stacy Birkenmeier is in critical condition and may have brain damage. Stacy was at home in New Auburn with her two kids on Saturday night. The kids told law enforcement that their step-father, Troy Birkenmeier, came home late that night and the couple started arguing. They said they later heard several loud thumps on a wooden floor. Stacy's 12-year-old daughter told law enforcement she could see her mother on the floor through a reflection in a window. She said Troy was kneeling beside her, pushing her shoulders down, causing her head to hit the floor.
The girl told authorities that she went to call the neighbor, but said Troy took the phone away. She got on her bike and rode to the neighbor's house for help. Troy then called 911. Stacy's 15-year-old son said Troy lied on that call, saying his mother hit her head on a door. Detectives say medical tests show it's highly unlikely her injuries were caused by a fall.
Troy Birkenmeier, who's 27 years old, has been charged with attempted homicide. A preliminary hearing will be held on Thursday.
The Barron County sheriff says they were called to the house once before. It happened last summer. Law enforcement was called to the house because of an argument. No one was arrested and Troy left the house that night to stay with someone else.
The sheriff also released the following statement about his concerns regarding domestic abuse: "If you think someone is in a domestic abuse situation, it needs to be reported to law enforcement right away. We have to get away from people saying, ' Oh he or she was just mad and blowing off steam.' We cannot stand for people being abused and someone knowing about it and not reporting it," said Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald.
