NORWICH – The case against accused felon Michael Thiel following an alleged assault that took place on May 22 at the South Otselic American Legion may be headed to trial after the Chenango County Public Defender’s Office announced its client had refused a plea deal that would have resulted in a state prison sentence.

Thiel, 38, of Otselic, was indicted in June on charges of second degree assault, a class D violent felony, and third degree assault, a class A misdemeanor. He remains incarcerated at the Chenango County Correctional Facility on $20,000 cash bail.

Representing the public defender’s office, attorney Pat Mavady said Thiel had rejected a deal offered by the Chenango County District Attorney’s Office and requested a jury trial. Mavady asked that Thiel’s bail be reduced or that the defendant be released as he’d been held in custody since the time of the alleged incident. District Attorney Joseph McBride, in response, said he objected to Thiel’s release, stating he had “almost killed the victim for no reason” and is “facing seven years in state prison.”

The alleged victim in the case, Plymouth resident Bill Buckley, required more than seven hours of major reconstructive surgery, according to his wife, Sue. Her husband, she said, had no chance to defend himself when attacked by Thiel. He’s alleged to have suffered multiple broken bones – including his nose, cheek bones, jaw and eye sockets – and now has seven plates, a number of screws and mesh screens secured to his face, she added.

At the time, Buckley’s wife said her husband was “having great difficulty breathing because of all the blood and emergency personnel were forced to intubate him.

“His face was so swollen ... his face was bleeding from everywhere. His eyes were swollen shut, his nose was definitely broken and his lips were so swollen they didn’t even look like lips,” she added at the time.

The following also appeared in county court Monday: