CLARKSTON, WA - A 45-year-old Clarkston man was arrested in the 1300 block of Sycamore Street early this morning on charges of 1st-Degree Burglary and 2nd-Degree Assault for allegedly breaking into a home with three other people and seriously injuring a resident with a pipe. William James Newell was booked into the Asotin County Jail at 1:20 a.m.
According to a Probable Cause Affidavit, law enforcement officers responded to the scene at 12:39 a.m. after receiving a call about an alleged burglary. A 23-year-old male reported that subjects came into the house and told them to get out. The caller also said the subjects were threatening him with pipes.
"Two subjects were told to stay in the house and they did - [the caller] got out and ran to [a] neighbor to call," the document says.
While en route to the scene, the dispatcher advised another complainant had called and said he had been hit in the head with a bar.
"[The man] was very upset and told me that multiple people...including Newell...just broke into the house and hit him in the head with a bar," the affidavit says. The alleged victim told the officer "he thinks the subjects were still at the residence. I could see the side of [his] head had a large amount of blood coming down towards his ear.
While the officer was checking the perimeter of the home, Newell reportedly walked out the front door of the residence carrying a guitar.
"I contacted William and asked him if there was anybody else inside the residence and he said he did not think so, as he was [downstairs] playing guitar," the officer says in the affidavit. "I noticed William appeared to be sweating and was talking in a fast tone."
The officer inquired if Newell lived at the residence and he reportedly said he stays there from time to time. He then told Newell that there was a report of someone getting hit in the head.
"William asked if he was in trouble and began putting his hands in his pockets. I asked [him] to exit the front porch area and come to the front lawn," according to the affidavit. "William advised he did not have to and said he did not want to exit the front porch. I informed William that he was a possible suspect at this time and he began cursing and yelling at me."
At this point, the officer detained Newell and handcuffed him. During a search, the officer allegedly found a methamphetamine pipe in Newell's pocket.
A short time later, the alleged victim informed officers that three men and a woman were the ones who allegedly assaulted him after kicking in the door. He said all of the people were holding bars or "other objects" in their hands and they immediately hit him in the head with a metal bar and punched him in the face, the affidavit says. The man was able to escape.
The alleged victim was taken to the hospital where he was treated for blunt trauma to the head, including a deep laceration.
"The Doctor advised the depth of the laceration had exposed [his] skull," the affidavit says.
The injured man allegedly told officers that the female had "planned to attack him and burglarize the residence, using the other involved males to assist her," according to the affidavit. "[He] said he thinks they parked down the street and responded once he arrived at the residence."
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