An eighth-grade teacher at Laurin Middle School who is accused of assaulting his wife was in Clark County Superior Court on Tuesday to answer to domestic violence charges. He was taken into custody at that time.
Michael Jon Brotherton, 46, of Brush Prairie, who appeared on a summons, entered not-guilty pleas to two counts of second-degree domestic violence assault. The charges were filed March 27.
Judge Gregory Gonzales ordered that Brotherton be remanded into custody and held on $50,000 bail, court records show. His trial is set for June 4.
Battle Ground Public Schools placed Brotherton on administrative leave last week during spring break. He did not return to teach Monday and will remain on leave pending the outcome of his case, district spokeswoman Rita Sanders said Tuesday.
Brotherton wrote in court documents that he’s worked as a history and English teacher. He has been with Battle Ground Public Schools since 1999 and at Laurin Middle School since 2001, Sanders said.
Brotherton’s wife filed a temporary protection order against him Feb. 12, seeking custody of their two children and requesting that Brotherton surrender his firearms.
Declarations filed by Brotherton’s mother, a neighbor and Brotherton’s son state that he has been living with his mother in Battle Ground since the temporary protection order was served against him, and all of Brotherton’s firearms were collected by the neighbor and turned over to his son.
However, during his Tuesday hearing, Gonzales ordered that all of Brotherton’s firearms be turned over to the Clark County Sheriff’s Office by 5 p.m. today, court records show. He is also not to have contact with his wife.
According to an affidavit of probable cause, Brotherton’s wife told authorities that on Feb. 3 he became angry with her because she was five minutes late getting home from a class. He grabbed her face and covered her nose and mouth, restricting her airway and causing her mouth to bleed.
The victim said that Brotherton would “choke” her almost monthly, the affidavit said.
She also reported that on Sept. 18, 2016, Brotherton strangled her until she fell unconscious. She said she thought he was going to kill her. When she tried to call 911, Brotherton took her phone and broke it, court records said.
She later took photos of bruises on her neck and wrists from the assault and sent the photos to her parents. She told them to save the photos in case anything happened to her, according to court documents. Investigators said the woman’s parents provided them with the photos.
Brotherton has denied all of the allegations against him in the petition for the temporary protection order. He also agreed to take a polygraph test, and answered no to questions about assaulting his wife and threatening to kill her. The test found that “Brotherton’s reactions were consistent with those of a truthful individual,” court records state.
