Savage Man Charged with Cutting, Threatening Lakeville Man

A Savage man has been charged with cutting a man in Lakeville with a 4-inch knife after threatening to “cut him wide open,” then threatening to slash another man’s throat.

Peter Gustavo Gesualdo, 43, is charged with three felonies: second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon, which carries a maximum penalty of seven years in prison and a $14,000 fine, and two counts of making terroristic threats, each of which has a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

Lakeville police were called to a home on Impatiens Court just after 10 p.m. Jan. 5 to investigate a reported assault, according to the criminal assault. Officers met with the homeowner, who said one of his tenants had called to report the assault.

While they were speaking to the man, police received word that the victim had called and reported that his roommate, Gesualdo, had sliced him with a knife, then ran out the door.

Police found Gesualdo sitting in a parked van outside the home. Gesualdo told police that his roommate was “going crazy,” but denied using a knife.

Police found a large amount of blood in the home’s front entryway, and found the victim sitting in the kitchen with a towel wrapped around his right foot and ankle. Another man and a woman were also there.

Officers spoke again to Gesualdo, who speculated that the victim must have cut his foot on something while he was walking, according to the complaint. When police told him that it looked like the victim had been cut with a knife, Gesualdo replied, “I don’t want to speak with you. You can’t find the weapon. No prosecutor will take this on unless they are dumb,” the complaint alleges.

The victim was taken to a hospital, where doctors used 13 stitches to close his wound.

The victim told police that he was watching the Minnesota Vikings game, then went upstairs to talk to a friend. While they were talking, Gesualdo began yelling at him, asking whether they were talking about the female witness.

Gesualdo then walked downstairs, flipping a 4-inch silver butterfly knife at the victim as he walked out of the kitchen, according to the complaint. The two men argued, and Gesualdo said, “I’ll cut you wide open,” then cut the man and left the house, the complaint charges.

The male witness said Gesualdo told him, “I’ll slit your throat next” after he cut the victim.

The woman made an audio recording of the incident. Gesualdo is heard saying to the victim, “I’ll cut you good. I’ll cut your voice box out now if you keep talking [expletive],” according to the complaint.

Officers were unable to recover the knife.

Gesualdo remains in the Dakota County Jail on a $100,000 bond. An omnibus hearing in his case is scheduled Feb. 5 in Dakota County District Court in Hastings.