A Boyes Hot Springs man accused of beating and stabbing a disabled Sonoma Valley man appeared in court Thursday to face charges of attempted murder, mayhem and two other serious felonies.
Logan Dunning, 22, was arraigned Thursday one day after his alleged victim, Austin Ridge, 28, made a triumphant return to Sonoma's Fourth of July parade, riding his customized tricycle to thank the community for the outpouring of support he received following the April attack.
Dunning was arrested last month after an investigation into a string of car burglaries and arson fires in west Santa Rosa led to the discovery of a knife at his home with Ridge's DNA on it.
Now, Dunning is charged with four felonies with multiple enhancements that could lead to a long prison sentence.
He appeared before Sonoma County Superior Court Judge Robert LaForge in a blue jail uniform as his mother and Ridge's family watched the proceedings from the audience. He'll return July 19 to enter a plea.
"I hope he goes to jail for a long time so he doesn't hurt anyone else again," said the victim's mother, Kimberly Ridge.
She said her son had been planning to attend the hearing but changed his mind Wednesday night.
Dunning's mother, Meagan Gordon of Santa Rosa, said outside of court that her son is not "some kind of monster."
She said he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in February and was kicked out of Turning Point, a residential drug treatment program, because he started taking psychiatric medications.
"They said they don't treat people with mental illness," Gordon said. "They let him out when he needed their help."
Gordon said her son told her he doesn't remember ever attacking Ridge, a total stranger.
Ridge was found lying on the ground April 25 in Boyes Hot Springs with a broken jaw, a fractured nose, head injuries and stab wounds to his arm and torso.
Ridge, who has been disabled since suffering a serious head injury about eight years ago in a car crash in Oregon, was attacked while riding his tricycle home from a Sonoma Valley pub after midnight.
Dunning was charged Thursday with attempted murder causing great bodily injury, mayhem resulting in the injury of a developmentally disabled person and two counts of felony assault - one alleging the use of a knife and the other for using his fists.
His bail was set at more than $1 million.
LaForge cancelled a preliminary hearing on Dunning's arson case set for July 18. His past convictions include felony burglary in 2009, assault and battery in 2010 and felony possession of a deadly weapon and misdemeanor battery last year.
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