An Ashford man faces felony charges after he allegedly assaulted and threatened to strangle a woman during an argument.
According to prosecutors, a 911 call captured some of the threats. At one point, the dispatcher reportedly heard the crying victim say, “Why did you hit my leg?”
Jacob C. Harper, 42, is charged with one count each of felony harassment, a Class C felony punishable by up to five years in prison, and fourth-degree assault (domestic violence), a gross misdemeanor punishable by up to 364 days in jail.
Harper made a preliminary appearance in Lewis County Superior Court Monday after posting $20,000 in bail following his arrest over the weekend.
During the hearing, Senior Deputy Prosecutor Paul Masiello asked that the previously posted bail be maintained, allowing Harper to remain out of custody.
Masiello also requested a pre-trial no-contact order on behalf of the victim, along with an order for Harper to surrender any firearms within his possession.
Defense attorney Rachael Tiller said she didn’t believe a separate no-contact order was needed, since no contact is already a standard condition of release.
Judge Paul Strophy agreed to let Harper stay released on the posted bail and granted the state’s request for the no-contact order and the weapons surrender.
According to a probable cause affidavit, two Lewis County sheriff’s deputies responded to the residence on May 16 after the victim reportedly called 911 to say she was in danger and to request that she be picked up.
The emergency call allegedly captured Harper mocking the victim and calling her various names, before threatening to strangle her.
When the first deputy arrived, he reportedly heard a male voice and a woman crying. The deputy announced his presence and entered one of the open doors.
The deputy located the two individuals and told the woman to go outside.
“She was still crying as she walked by the deputy and appeared scared,” the affidavit said.
Speaking to the second deputy, the woman reportedly said Harper “spit on her multiple times, and he also threw a belt buckle which struck her in the forehead,” according to the affidavit.
The woman reportedly said Harper had drunk heavily that night and had also made “racial and threatening comments towards her.”
According to the affidavit, the deputy saw that the woman was shaking, and noted “slight bruising/discoloration on her forehead area.”
Speaking with the first deputy, Harper allegedly denied being physical or making threats to harm the woman, and said the argument began over “relationship issues,” according to the affidavit.
The deputies conferred with one another, then spoke to Harper again.
This time, Harper allegedly said, “Not much,” when asked if anything physical had happened, according to the affidavit.
The deputies arrested Harper and booked him into the Lewis County Jail.
The next day, the deputies enlisted the help of the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office to contact the woman in Gig Harbor.
The Pierce County deputy who made the visit reported seeing the woman with a man that matched Harper’s physical description.
Harper seemed to have bailed out of jail.
The deputy reported that the woman “appeared fearful of having a conversation with law enforcement while the male was present,” the affidavit said.
According to the affidavit, the woman gave the deputy a phone number, but said “to call only at a time when the male was not going to be home.”
Harper is scheduled for an arraignment on May 28. He will look to retain private defense counsel.
