Deputies investigating machete attack, severed finger at girl's party

An East Naples man had his finger nearly severed as he defended himself from a machete-wielding beer thief at a party late Tuesday.

The 42-year-old man said he was throwing a party for his daughter on the 5200 block of McCarty Street when an acquaintance showed up and began loading beer into plastic bags. When the host tried to stop the man from riding away on his bicycle, the beer thief pulled a machete out of his waistband, according to an incident report.

As the host was lifting his hand to defend himself, the man swung the machete, slicing the host's right pinkie finger until it dangled, reports said. The man then left on his bicycle.

The victim was taken to Physicians Regional Hospital, where a doctor said his finger was cut at both the bone and the tendons. The finger was stitched back on, a report said.

The stabbing remains under Sheriff's Office investigation.