Wisconsin acid attack suspect once held hunters at gunpoint

By IVAN MORENO and TODD RICHMOND
Associated Press
MILWAUKEE (AP) – The 61-year-old white man accused of throwing acid on a Hispanic man’s face in Milwaukee once held four hunters at gunpoint on his Wisconsin property during a chilling encounter.

Clifton A. Blackwell is suspected of attacking 42-year-old Mahud Villalaz Friday night night after accusing him of being illegally in the U.S. and “invading” the country. Blackwell is in custody with charges pending, and the case is being investigated as a hate crime.

The confrontation with the hunters happened on Blackwell’s property in 2006 in Rusk County, a mostly rural area in northwestern Wisconsin. He marched the men to his house with a rifle and demanded money from them, according to court documents and the hunters’ accounts.

Blackwell at one point was found incompetent to stand trial but eventually was convicted of two charges. He was released in 2011.

This story has been corrected to reflect the attack happened Friday night, not Saturday.