On July 1, a Lewis County man arrived at a residence off Pleasant Valley Road in Mineral. He thought he was there to pick up a vehicle part. Instead, he was headbutted, punched and knocked unconscious.
The reason? Snitching.
The suspect, a 49-year-old man reportedly living in or near the area, was charged with second-degree assault in a preliminary appearance at Lewis County Superior Court on Aug. 13.
David P. Collette now faces up to 10 years in prison and $20,000 in fines for the alleged offense.
According to court documents submitted by the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office, the incident began when the victim was contacted by someone who claimed to have a vehicle part that the victim was looking for. The victim arrived at the person’s residence around 6:30 p.m. July 1 with the intention of picking up the part.
As he was looking for the part, the victim was allegedly “blindsided” by Collette, who headbutted him, then punched him approximately three to four times. At some point during the assault, the victim claimed to have lost consciousness for about three minutes.
After the attack, the suspect warned the victim to move out of the state. Court documents state that the victim believes the attack was a retaliation for talking to the police about a previous residential burglary that occurred in Lewis County.
A Lewis County Sheriff’s Office deputy met with the victim July 2 and assessed his injuries at the Arbor Health Clinic. The deputy then spoke to a witness who confirmed the victim’s account, along with his belief that the assault was in retaliation for speaking about the burglary.
According to court documents, the deputy spoke with another person later that day who said she had witnessed the alleged victim leave the residence off Pleasant Valley Road with a bloody nose. The witness mentioned she wasn’t surprised by the assault, claiming that the victim “snitched” and that he should probably leave the state.
During the preliminary hearing, the state noted that Collette was currently being held for an active warrant out of Lewis County District Court and had seven prior assault convictions. While acknowledging the convictions were old, the prosecution noted that the real concern in this case was the assault of a potential witness in an ongoing criminal matter.
Judge J. Andrew Toynbee set bail at $100,000 cash or bond, per the state’s request. An anti-harassment order was also entered. Arraignment is scheduled for Aug. 21.
