Man convicted of stabbing Mosinee police officer sentenced to 4 years in prison

MOSINEE, Wis. (WSAW) – A 41-year-old man convicted of stabbing a Mosinee police officer during a wellness check in January has been sentenced to four years in prison.

Randy Beardsley pleaded no contest to amended criminal charges in a plea agreement in July. He was found guilty of assaulting a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest. He will also spend two years on extended supervision.

The incident happened on Feb. 25. Marathon County Sheriff’s Office investigators said that around 2 a.m. that day, Mosinee School District Police Officer Eric Krause noticed a man lying on the sidewalk near 7th and Main Streets in Mosinee and checked on him because temperatures were below freezing.

On the day of the incident, Mosinee Police Chief Ken Grams said Krause believed the man might need medical attention. He said Krause approached him and Beardsley “physically engaged” Krause; Krause moved away or tried to “disengage” and that’s when Krause was stabbed. Krause was able to immediately call for backup. Grams said Krause moved a safe distance away from Beardsley, Krause pointed his service pistol at him, gave commands and Beardsley complied.

When other officers arrived, law enforcement says Beardsley failed to comply with police commands and a Marathon County Sheriff’s Office tracking dog was deployed. He was subsequently taken into custody. Krause was taken to a safe location to stabilize him with a tourniquet and receive initial emergency treatment before going to the hospital for further medical care.

“This suspect immediately engaged with the officer in a negative manner, which led to this incident. As far as what the officer did, he did everything correctly and in accordance with protocol,” Grams said after the incident.

Officer Krause, who was stabbed, was treated and released from the hospital that day. Beardsley was bitten by a hunting dog during the incident and was released from the hospital to jail a few days later.

Multiple departments responded to the scene including the Mosinee Police Department, Marathon County Sheriff’s Office, Kronenwetter Police Department, Everest Metropolitan Police Department, Rothschild Police Department, Wausau Police Department, Mosinee EMS, Riverside EMS and SAFER EMS.

Krause has been an officer for 16 years, including nine with the Mosinee Police Department. Although he is a school resource officer for the Mosinee School District, he worked the night of Jan. 18-19 to fill in for another officer who was on leave.

A hearing on compensation is scheduled for October 8.

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