State employee accidentally slashes hand during balloon altercation
By Emma Roller of the Journal Sentinel
Madison — Drops of blood were scattered on the floor outside the state Supreme Court chambers Monday after a state employee accidentally cut his hand open during an argument involving a balloon in the state Capitol.
The incident involved a dispute between a citizen and a state employee over the removal of a balloon from the Capitol shortly before 1 p.m., according to Capitol Police Chief Charles Tubbs.
"The citizen allegedly brought a balloon into the Capitol and the state employee allegedly broke the balloon. The state employee indicated that prior to the incident he slipped on the stairs and cut his hand," a statement released by the Department of Administration said. The statement made no mention of how the employee cut his hand or broke the balloon.
The citizen involved was protester Leslie Peterson, who said Ron Blair, an assistant facilities director in the Capitol, approached her with a knife and slashed her balloon. She said when the incident occurred Blair had a handkerchief over his hand, which was bleeding. Blair could not be reached for comment.
Capitol Police and the DOA did not release the names of the two people involved in the incident, but Tubbs said the state employee was not seriously injured and is receiving medical treatment. No one was arrested in relation to the incident.
Balloons have become a symbol of the protests at the Capitol. During the first of the major pro-union protests at the Capitol in February, protesters released heart-shaped balloons in the rotunda, and one balloon remained floating on the ceiling of the Capitol dome until June. After the incident Monday, a group of protesters released approximately 50 heart-shaped balloons into the rotunda.