A man who assaulted his former girlfriend with a handheld stun gun outside her Vancouver home was sentenced Friday to nearly seven years in prison.
Charles H. Shelly, 42, of Vancouver previously entered a guilty plea in Clark County Superior Court to attempted first-degree domestic violence assault stemming from the July 8 attack.
Two Vancouver police officers were in the 2000 block of East 29th Street on an unrelated call when they heard a woman screaming. As they approached the scene, they saw a man dressed in black sprinting from the area. The officers chased after the man, later identified as Shelly, and detained him, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in Superior Court. Police found a stun gun in Shelly’s possession and heard someone yell, “That’s him, he’s got a Taser,” the affidavit said.
Police located a woman, bleeding from her face, in the middle of East 27th Street. She said she had been assaulted by her former boyfriend, Shelly, court records said.
She had returned home from work at about 10:15 p.m. and was attempting to unlock her door when she was attacked from behind and felt a shocking sensation in her back, she told police. 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, according to court documents.
Shelly continued to shock her and repeatedly punched her in the head and face, she said. The woman eventually lost consciousness, she said, from being unable to breathe while in the chokehold. However, she regained consciousness as she fell to the ground and continued to fight back and yell, court records said.
Neighbors heard the woman screaming and came out of their homes, prompting Shelly to flee, the affidavit said.
Police said the woman suffered 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 documents state.
In an interview with police, Shelly said he had gone to the woman’s residence for answers as to why their relationship ended. He said the woman attacked him, according to court records.
On Friday, Shelly told Judge Robert Lewis that he takes full responsibility for his actions. “I should have never gone over there,” he said. “And, I wish her the best.”
The attorneys jointly recommended a sentence of 69.75 months in prison.
Lewis said he would not follow that recommendation, however, because of the severity of the attack. He told Shelly that it appears he is still trying to minimize what happened.
Lewis sentenced Shelly to 81 months in prison and 36 months of community custody. He also ordered that Shelly undergo domestic violence treatment, not have contact with the victim for 10 years and pay $2,826.25 in restitution. Shelly was given credit for 330 days in custody.
