A Vancouver man who allegedly attacked his former girlfriend with a handheld stun gun outside her Vancouver home Wednesday night made a first appearance in Clark County Superior Court on Thursday.
Charles H. Shelly, 41, appeared on suspicion of first-degree assault-domestic violence and obstructing a law enforcement officer. However, he may potentially face more serious charges, including attempted murder, the prosecution said.
Judge Suzan Clark agreed to set Shelly’s bail at $1 million.
According to a probable cause affidavit filed in Superior Court, two Vancouver police officers were in the 2000 block of East 29th Street on an unrelated premise-check call when they heard a woman screaming. As they approached, they saw a man dressed in all black clothing sprinting from the area. After a brief foot pursuit, the officers detained the man, later identified as Shelly. They subsequently found a stun gun in Shelly’s possession and heard a passer-by yell out, “That’s him, he’s got a Taser.”
One of the officers located a woman in the middle of East 27th Street, bleeding from her face. She told the officer that she was just assaulted by her former boyfriend, Shelly, court records said.
The woman told police that she and Shelly ended their relationship about two weeks prior. She had returned home from work about 10:15 p.m. Wednesday and was attempting to unlock her door when she was attacked from behind and felt a shocking sensation in her back, she said. Her attacker then put her in a chokehold and repeatedly said she was going “to die tonight.” The woman said she recognized the voice as Shelly’s and was able to turn her head to see his face, the affidavit says.
She said Shelly continued to shock her in the back and repeatedly punched her in the head, face and jaw. The woman said she eventually passed out from being unable to breath while in the chokehold. However, she regained consciousness as she fell to the ground and continued to fight back and yell. Shelly then reportedly shocked her on the front of her torso, according to court documents.
The woman said she continued to yell loudly until neighbors began to come out of their homes. She said Shelly then pushed her into a water fountain feature in her front yard, injuring her ankle, and he fled the scene on foot, the affidavit says.
Police said they observed injuries to the woman’s face, including a broken jaw, black eye and three broken teeth. She also had scratch marks on her neck and multiple markings on her back and chest that matched the probes of the stun gun found in Shelly’s possession, court records said.
During an interview with police, Shelly said he knew his relationship was over with the woman and that she had told him to stay away from her. He said he wanted answers as to why their relationship ended. He said he called out to her from a distance and came up behind her. Shelly said the woman then shocked him with a projectile stun gun and that he fell on top of her. He said he struggled to get up and then ran away, according to court documents.
He added that he found the stun gun on the ground and took it with him when he fled. He also said the woman bit him on the finger, court records said.
During his hearing on Thursday, Judge Clark appointed attorney Shon Bogar to represent Shelly. He is scheduled to be arraigned July 23.
