An Olympia man was charged with a felony and a gross misdemeanor for allegedly assaulting his then-girlfriend after a crisis group reported him to the police.
The assault was reported to authorities on June 13 by a Familiar Faces advocate who was in contact with the girlfriend. The Familiar Faces program connects individuals with “peer navigators” who help them get through a crisis.
The suspect, 42, was charged with second-degree and fourth-degree assault by the Thurston County Prosecuting Attorney on June 15.
According to Olympia police, the suspect was arrested on June 14 for his alleged assault of his then-girlfriend on June 10. The couple broke up a day before the suspect’s arrest.
The girlfriend told police that she and the suspect had an argument on June 10, during which he strangled her and she attempted to punch him in the face in retaliation.
Returning to the homeless shelter they were staying in, the argument continued, with the suspect pinning his girlfriend to the bed and biting her on the right side of her neck, causing minor injuries, according to the police report.
An officer noted that the girlfriend had a small mark on her neck that appeared to be “several days old.”
The suspect then held his girlfriend in a bear hug position, which led to her urinating on the floor out of fear and due to a medical condition.
As the girlfriend fought to break free, the suspect kept pulling her toward him, causing her to slide through the urine. The suspect left the scene after he was confronted by the shelter staff.
A resident coordinator of the shelter told police that she was working on the night of June 10 when she was informed of a disturbance at the girlfriend’s apartment. She arrived to find the suspect at the door, yelling obscenities at his girlfriend.
The coordinator also said she saw the girlfriend crying with a fresh injury on her neck, as well as urine on the floor.
Police located the suspect at a gas station on June 14. He denied assaulting his girlfriend, claiming that the Familiar Faces advocate had set him up using a false report because she did not like him.
A small bag containing a white crystalline substance, which was later confirmed to be methamphetamine, was found on the suspect.
The suspect was booked into the Thurston County Jail for second-degree assault and unlawful imprisonment.
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