A Florida woman had her nose cut off after an alleged machete attack by a horse stable employee

WELLINGTON, Fla. (WPEC) — A man has been accused of attacking two people with a machete at a Florida horse stable, leaving one woman almost completely severing her nose.

The violent incident happened just after 8pm on Tuesday in Wellington’s Little Ranches community, turning what was once a peaceful horse stable into a gruesome crime scene.

According to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office (PBSO), deputies responded to a 911 call in which a woman stated that her nose had been cut off by a machete.

When emergency services arrived on the scene, they found two victims in the horse stable, a man and a woman, both with serious injuries.

They were immediately transported to St. Mary’s Medical Center for medical treatment and to provide statements to detectives.

It’s surreal. This is such a nice neighborhood. It’s closed. Nothing ever happens here,” said neighbor Emily Ciceroni.

“When we found out it was Aimee’s, I thought, what the heck? Because you wouldn’t expect anyone, especially not an employee, especially not an employee,” said neighbor Randy Halvorsrød.

The woman, stable owner Aimee Waters, told investigators she recently hired 56-year-old Abundio Jasso as a groomsman about a month ago, allowing him to live in a camper on her property.

She said their working relationship had become tense due to Jasso’s frequent drunkenness and aggression when she asked him to perform his duties.

The incident escalated Tuesday evening when Waters noticed that Jasso had not completed his nightly check of the stables. Concerned, she and her tenant, Joseph Hawk, went to check on Jasso. When they knocked on the door of his RV, Jasso appeared drunk and shone a flashlight in their eyes.

In an effort to avoid further conflict, Waters and Hawk decided to complete the night check themselves.

Moments later, however, Jasso would storm into the shed armed with a machete.

According to PBSO, Jasso first attacked Hawk, who intervened to protect Waters. Hawk told officers that after the initial attack, he witnessed Jasso strike Waters in the face with the machete, completely severing her nose and causing her to collapse.

Fearing for Waters’ life, Hawk tried to intervene again but was struck multiple times, suffering deep cuts to his arm and ribcage.

It’s just devastating to us that someone in our community had to go through this, the man who did it. I don’t know what to say,” said Halvorsrød.

Neighbor Randy Halvorsrød has known Waters for almost twenty years.

“A wonderful person. She is a giving person, a big part of the neighborhood, a big part of the Wellington horse industry,” Halvorsrød said.

The two victims managed to escape Jasso and hide in a locked room in the shed, where they called 911.

When officers arrived, Jasso barricaded himself in his RV, but eventually told officers that he attacked Waters because he was angry with her for insulting him.

The woman suffered serious injuries, including having her nose cut off, facial trauma and a broken upper jaw.

Hawk suffered a metacarpal fracture in his wrist, deep lacerations to his arm that required 17 stitches, and lacerations to his triceps and ribcage.

Both are expected to recover. Neighbors told WPEC’s Katie Bente that Waters will be released from the hospital on Thursday.

“Her boyfriend Joe, who was there, she says actually saved her life,” Halvorsrød said. ‘She’s doing well. She’s barking orders around the farm, so I think she’s doing fine.”

Jasso has been charged with two counts of attempted first-degree murder and is being held in the Palm Beach County Jail without bond.