David Unze

dunze@stcloudtimes.com

An Alexandria man has been charged with second-degree assault after a mental health worker at St. Cloud Hospital was attacked Sunday and left gasping for air after a cord had been wrapped around her neck.

William Chad Kern, 42, is accused of attacking the victim while she was working with him Sunday afternoon at the hospital. Kern had been civilly committed Friday in Douglas County and ordered to complete treatment at the hospital.

The mental health worker told police that she had been working with Kern for about three weeks without any problems. But on Sunday, Kern asked her for a CPAP breathing device, and she declined to give him one because he wasn't having any problems.

Kern became upset and ripped a security card reader from the wall, exposing the wires behind it. As Kern fell to the floor, he pulled the wires from the wall. He then returned to his room, with the mental health worker following him because she was concerned Kern might have hurt himself.

When she got into Kern's room, he grabbed her by the throat and began to choke her, according to the criminal complaint charging Kern. He forced her to the ground, continuing to choke her.

The victim told police later that she was terrified and couldn't remember whether she had lost consciousness. She was able to activate an alarm system, and several hospital personnel intervened and pulled Kern off of her, according to the complaint.

Those who intervened said the victim's face was turning red and blue from the choking.

Surveillance video showed that Kern had wrapped the cord around the victim's neck and was "violently trying to strangle her," according to the complaint. Kern didn't remove his hands from her neck until hospital personnel intervened, the complaint said.

Kern was cooperative after the situation calmed down. He refused to answer questions from investigators, instead asking to speak to an attorney.

Kern made his first court appearance on the charge Tuesday. Stearns County District Court Judge Mary Mahler ordered that Kern undergo a mental competency evaluation.

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