Man found guilty of felony endangering
ELKHORN — A Walworth County jury Friday found a Delavan man guilty of felony endangering safety following a three-day trial.
Michael D. Hatton, 30, was charged with endangering the safety of the woman he was in a relationship with in 2007. Hatton threatened the woman with a knife and chased her with a van, according to the criminal complaint.
The charge was dropped after the woman failed to appear at a court hearing to testify against Hatton, but it was refiled in 2011 after Hatton was charged with misdemeanor disorderly conduct following another incident with the woman.
Hatton claimed he did not threaten the woman. His attorney, public defender Travis Schwantes, said that at no time during the 2007 incident was Hatton near the woman with the knife or the van.
Walworth County Assistant District Attorney Diane Donohoo told the jury that Hatton had threatened the woman to the point that she fled the couple’s residence and called police.
Hatton faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $25,000 fine on the endangerment conviction. The misdemeanor disorderly conduct conviction carries a maximum penalty of 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.
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