Transient man accused of assault makes court appearance

A transient man accused of pointing a handgun at a woman’s head during an altercation Monday made a first appearance in Clark County Superior Court.

James E. Patzke, 24, was in court Tuesday to face an allegation of first-degree assault stemming from the incident, which reportedly occurred at an acquaintance’s residence in the 4300 block of Northeast 66th Avenue.

The woman, Chessa Vaughn, told Vancouver police that people at the residence were threatening to hurt her so she walked to the door and said she would call the police. She then heard someone rack the slide of a firearm, looked back and saw Patzke pointing a semi-automatic handgun at her head, according to an affidavit of probable cause.

Patzke reportedly said, “Do you really think I care about the police?” the affidavit states.

Police said Patzke and his wife denied making any threats toward Vaughn or that Patzke had a handgun, court records said. The tenant of the residence told police there shouldn’t be any firearms in his apartment but couldn’t be certain that his guests didn’t bring one, according to the court document.

After serving a search warrant, police found a handgun hidden in the attic crawl space of the residence, the affidavit said.

During Patzke’s court hearing, Judge Robert Lewis set Patzke’s bail at $25,000. He will be arraigned Sept. 8, court records show.