Suspect allegedly attacks man over ‘girlfriend’

A man allegedly sprayed mace and punched another man in the early morning of January 20, believing the latter's girlfriend was his and claiming they have kids together.

Thurston County Sheriff's Office (TCSO) deputies responded to a report of an assault at 8:35 a.m. at 1000 Hensley Street NE, near Lacey.

The report indicated that a male suspect, identified as Fred S. Wood, maced the victim, identified as Jonathan F. Sheneman, and punched him in the face before fleeing toward WinCo.

 The suspect was described as a white male in his 40s with a shaved head, wearing a vest and carrying a backpack.

Upon arrival at the scene, deputies spoke with the victim, who displayed visible signs of injury, including a swollen, watery, and bloodshot right eye, as well as redness on the face and neck.

The victim recounted being sprayed with mace while playing with his RC car, causing disorientation and temporary loss of vision.

He also reported being punched multiple times by the assailant.

According to the deputies statement, the suspect “kept repeating to [the victim] that [the victim's] girlfriend... was actually his girlfriend. He told them they have kids together.” deputies stated in the police report based on the victim’s statement.

The victim’s girlfriend was there during the incident and confirmed the victim’s statement and denied having intimate relations or children with the suspect.

The victim’s girlfriend “had no idea what he was talking about and said they were co-workers at a gas station at one point in time. Their relationship has never been more than co-workers and they do not have kids together,” deputies said after their interview with the victim’s girlfriend.

The landlord, who witnessed the incident, also confirmed the victim’s account of the assault, saying they witnessed the suspect approaching the victim, spraying him with mace, and continuing to assault him despite the victim's attempts to retreat.

Deputies located a male near Winco matching the suspect's description and detained him.

Upon interrogation, the suspect denied approaching the victim and assaulting him.

“Fred noted that he just rode his bike from the valley and straight to WinCo. Fred noted that he never went past the victim's house west of the store,” the suspect claimed.

When authorities asked the suspect if the CCTV footage near the area of the incident would confirm his statement, the suspect stood by his first statement and further said that “no assault occurred, and he was just passing by the house and saw Jon in front of it.”

However, based on the evidence gathered at the scene, including the victim's injuries and eyewitness testimonies, the suspect was arrested for second-degree assault and booked into Thurston County Jail.