At the time many families were getting ready to head off to early service, the Upper Sioux, Granite Falls and Yellow Medicine County police were busy responding to a call in which a twenty-six year old intoxicated male had reportedly stabbed his brother in the back.
Rural Granite Falls resident, Erich Ryan Blue, is being charged with two felony counts of second degree assault, for causing substantial bodily harm and using a dangerous weapon, and one count of fifth degree assault associated with an additional individual present at the scene.
According to the incident report, the altercation occurred after an escalating series of arguments with Erich and his brother, Levi Blue, 24, during the morning of Sunday, January 31 at the home of their father, James Blue. Also reported at the home were Levi’s girlfriend and her child.
Details of the event are sketchy, as testimony from the parties involved provide conflicting timelines of the events, as alcohol appeared to play a factor.
In the report, Levi stated that the arguments remained at the level of a verbal confrontation until Erich obtained a knife. Levi told police that he tried to elude Erich by closing himself in a bedroom, but Erich proceeded to break down the door, eventually knocking it from its hinges. It was while trying to hold the door up that Levi said he felt his brother, who wielded a 5-inch serrated kitchen knife, stab him three times.
At this point, James was said to get involved, pushing Erich down allowing Levi to escape from the from the area. In his testimony, Levi said he ran out of the house with Erich in pursuit, and then went to a neighbors.
It is unclear if Levi went back into the home at this point, but according to Levi’s girlfriend, he told her that he had been stabbed and that she should grab her child and get out of house.
The girlfriend stated that she awoke to find Levi on top of Erich and that as she grabbed her child and attempted to leave Erich began pushing her down while her child was still in her arms. He was said to have pushed her down repeatedly and also choked her while they were outside of the house.
When officers responded to the scene they found Levi sitting with a shirt soaked bloodied in back. They then located Erich, who was inside his father’s home, with blood on his face and “all over” his shirt.
The report stated that as Erich was handcuffed, “James was very aggressive verbally at the situation and past situations.”
Erich was taken to YMC’s Sheriff’s Office where he waived his Miranda Rights. He said he did not remember stabbing his brother or anything about a knife. He was given a breathalyzer and recorded a .244, three times the legal limit.
Granite Falls, Minn. —
