Vancouver man charged in mug assault

A Vancouver man appeared Friday in Clark County Superior Court on suspicion of striking another man in the head with a water glass and a porcelain mug.

Austin M. Askew, 21, was arrested New Year’s Eve on a charge of first-degree assault. However, prosecutors may charge him only with second-degree assault, said Senior Deputy Prosecutor Jeannie Bryant. He also faces a charge of second-degree malicious mischief.

Judge Gregory Gonzales held him in the Clark County Jail in lieu of $30,000 bail and appointed Vancouver attorney Ed Dunkerly to defend him. He is scheduled to be arraigned on the charges Jan. 15.

The victim, Michael Dison, had multiple deep lacerations throughout his scalp and swelling to his face, according to court papers. He was treated and released at Legacy Salmon Creek Hospital.

According to Dison’s girlfriend, Askew got in the middle of an argument between her and Dison.

“Austin stepped in and started to push Michael and told him to stop arguing,” wrote Clark County sheriff’s Deputy Ryan Preston in a probable cause affidavit. The two then began to wrestle around on the ground, Preston wrote.

There were several holes in the wall and broken items throughout Dison’s house, the deputy wrote. He wrote that one of the holes resulted from Askew’s pushing Dison into a wall.

According to the affidavit, Askew claimed that he was protecting the woman from Dison, and he blamed Dison for broken items in the house.

The woman’s full name was not provided in court records.