Sep. 3—An Austin man accused early this year of assaulting a woman and stealing her vehicle has agreed to a plea deal Wednesday morning prior to what was supposed to have been his jury trial in Mower County District Court.
Mark Rabideau, 49, has agreed to plead guilty to a single county of felony domestic assault by way of a Norgaard plea, meaning Rabideau admits to the crime, but because of things like being in altered state because of drugs or alcohol or has some kind of trauma can’t remember the facts of the case.
According to the court complaint filed back in March when he was arrested, Rabideau’s preliminary breath test resulted in a blood alcohol content of .256.
According to Wednesday’s plea agreement, the state has agreed to a stay of injunction for five years and Rabideau is to enter into and successfully complete a chemical dependence treatment and continue with a post sentence investigation for sentencing.
Rabideau’s official sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 7.
According to the court complaint, Rabideau was arrested on March 2 of this year after an incident involving an adult female he shared a residence within the 600 block of Ninth Street SW a little after 8 p.m.
Responding officers learned that Rabideau had first berated the victim and threatened to take all of her money and then put both hands around her neck several times and threw her against the refrigerator and a counter.
The victim retreated to a bathroom where Rabideau kicked the door open and again put his hands on her neck, throwing her to the floor where she injured her hand. Officers noted an open wound on the victim’s hand along with scrapes and blood on the right side of head and bruising on her left arm.
Prior to officers arriving, Rabideau had taken the victim’s car keys and telephone and drove off with her car. He was later located at a home in the 800 block of Fourth Avenue SW where the vehicle was found still running.
Rabideau’s criminal history shows four prior convictions for domestic violence-related acts that include two violations of harassment restraining orders (2015 and 2016), which were felonies, as well felony domestic assault (2023) and gross misdemeanor domestic assault (2019).