DC judge sets $250,000 cash bail in Spring Brook homicide case

By LeAnn R. Ralph

MENOMONIE  —  A Dunn County judge has set a $250,000 cash bail for a 20-year-old woman arrested in connection with the death of a 24-year-old man whose body was found in a vehicle in the Town of Spring Brook.

Dunn County District Attorney Andrea Nodolf had initially asked Judge Rod Smeltzer to set a $750,000 cash bail for Ezra J. McCandless.

McCandless appeared before Judge Smeltzer by video-conference from the Dunn County jail for a bail hearing March 28 along with her attorney, Aaron Nelson.

The body of a 24-year-old Eau Claire man, later identified as Alexander J. Woodworth, was discovered in a car in the Town of Spring Brook south of Elk Mound on Friday, March 23.

According to a news release from the Dunn County Sheriff’s Department, “upon discovery of the body, it was clear that his injuries were not self-inflicted.”

During the bail hearing, Nodolf told the court she was intending to charge McCandless with a Class A felony, which carries a mandatory penalty, if convicted, of life in prison.

Because of the pending charges, McCandless has a high incentive to flee, Nodolf said.

McCandless also could pose a possible threat to the public, and the court has signed multiple search warrants related to the case, she said.

Preliminary autopsy results indicate Woodworth was stabbed 16 times, Nodolf said.

McCandless is claiming she was attacked, said she wanted it to stop and had carved the word “boy” into her arm, Nodolf said.

Nodolf did not elaborate on the nature of the alleged attack.

The defendant is unemployed, could not reside with her mother because she was not following the rules and was sleeping on her stepfather’s couch, she said.

McCandless does not own a house and has no ties to the community, Nodolf told the court.

If bail is posted, Nodolf said she would like the court to order McCandless not to leave Dunn County or Chippewa County.

Woodworth was found in a car in a driveway off 430th Avenue two-tenths of a mile east of county Highway E in the Town of Spring Brook, Judge Smeltzer noted, and then indicated he found probable cause in relation to setting a bail amount for McCandless.

No paperwork

Nelson, McCandless’s attorney, said he had been in the courtroom 15 minutes before the bail hearing and no paperwork had been filed with the court.

Since no paperwork had been filed to establish probable cause, there is no legal basis to hold McCandless, Nelson said.

A young man was found dead, but there are no facts indicating a crime had been committed. No connections to McCandless have been established, and there are no witnesses, he said.

No statements have been made that McCandless did anything, that she was nearby or that she was a witness, Nelson said.

There is no factual basis to say she has committed any crime, he said.

A citation and a complaint have been filed with the court. On March 23, Woodworth was found in a vehicle in a driveway two-tenths of a mile east of Highway E in the Town of Spring Brook, Judge Smeltzer said.

McCandless was with Woodworth on March 22, and she has admitted to stabbing Alex Woodworth to death, Judge Smeltzer said, adding that he had used the information to find probable cause to set bail.

The information Judge Smeltzer provided are conclusions but not facts; they are opinions on paper, Nelson said.

Facts need to be provided on how the conclusion was reached, he said.

Investigators in Eau Claire County and Dunn County interviewed McCandless, and she admitted to stabbing Woodworth, Nodolf said.

Nelson described McCandless as “low to medium risk” and said she had support in the community because 10 to 20 people were in the courtroom in support of McCandless.

McCandless has ties to the community and has lived here all her life. She has no prior record and has no prior arrests, Nelson said.

According to a news release from the Dunn County Sheriff’s Department, McCandless is from Stanley.

A high cash bond is not necessary, although some cash might be warranted, but under the circumstances, Judge Smeltzer should set a signature bond, Nelson said.

While there are concerns about McCandless’s mental health, the amount of cash bail requested is “ridiculous” and not required, Nelson said, suggesting McCandless could co-sign a bond with her mother.

Bail

Because of the alleged offense, and offenses do get any more serious, Judge Smeltzer said, he was ordering a $250,000 cash bail.

Judge Smeltzer scheduled an initial appearance for McCandless before Judge James Peterson on April 6 at 10:30 a.m.

Nodolf said the investigation was still underway and time was needed to prepare the reports.

Ten days is a reasonable amount of time to get the complaint ready, even with numerous search warrants and an investigation, Judge Smeltzer said.

If the court already had enough information to find probable cause, how will it take 10 days to get the information into a computer, Nelson asked, objecting to scheduling the initial appearance for McCandless in 10 days and suggesting the initial appearance should be scheduled sooner than 10 days.

The court finds it is reasonable to set the initial appearance for next Friday, Judge Smeltzer said.

Judge Smeltzer ordered McCandless to have no contact with a list of six people Nodolf provided to the court whose ages ranged from 12 to 77.

Judge Smeltzer also ordered McCandless not to leave Chippewa County or Dunn County if she posts bail.