A Woodland parolee faces felony battery charges after allegedly punching another man in the face and causing life-threatening injuries Sunday, Woodland police said.
According to Sgt. Jason Brooks, the investigation began at about 12:20 p.m. when Woodland fire and ambulance personnel were dispatched to reports of a male passed out with difficulty breathing in the 100 block of West Main Street. Police learned that the victim was the victim of a battery, and that the suspect had fled the scene.
Witnesses told police that the victim had been punched in the face by a man with whom he’d had past disagreements, and that the blow caused him to fall backwards and strike his head, Brooks said.
Officers later identified the suspect as 47-year-old Thomas Leo Nelson, a local parolee, who was taken into custody shortly after 11 p.m. Sunday in a West Court Street parking lot, Brooks said. He was booked into the Yolo County Jail on suspicion of battery and an outstanding parole hold.
The victim, transferred from Woodland Memorial Hospital to Mercy San Juan Hospital in Sacramento due to the extent of his injuries, was reported in stable condition Monday but remains under observation, Brooks said.