Police: assault suspect inadvertently surrenders

By Brandi Makuski

Stevens Point police say when the suspect in a northside parking lot assault came in to tell his side of the story, he had no idea he would be arrested.

Orlando C. Kerstell-Morales, 33, came to SPPD on June 1 to offer police some insight into a May 26 assault that occurred in the parking lot of Perkins Family Restaurant, 127 Division St. North.

“The suspect actually came to the [police department] to give a written statement about what happened in his own defense and was taken into custody,” said Assistant Police Chief Mike Rottier. “I don’t think he realized he would be arrested when he came in.”

Rottier said Kerstell-Morales was traveling with several other people, including the victim and her son, from Mosinee to Wisconsin Dells when an argument began in the vehicle. The group decided to cancel the trip and stopped at Perkins before turning around.

During the argument, Kerstell-Morales took the woman’s cell phone and threw it from the car window, Rottier said. When the group stopped at the restaurant, the woman’s 11-year-old son left the vehicle to retrieve the phone, and Kerstell-Morales allegedly struck the boy on the head.

When the woman called the police, Kerstell-Morales became upset and attacked the woman, Rottier said, forcing her to the ground where he strangled her and also injured her hand. A witness at the scene reportedly stopped the attack.

Kerstell-Morales is being held on a $750 cash bond and was ordered by Judge Thomas Eagon to have no contact with the victims. His initial appearance has been scheduled for June 18.