Orcas Island man to serve 6 months for felony assault

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that Sanchez would serve 10 months, four of which could be served on a work crew. His correct sentence is six months in jail, four of which can be served on a work crew.

An Orcas Island man who pleaded guilty to felony assault after a violent attack on the mother of his child was sentenced to 6 months in jail, four of which he will be allowed to serve on work release or on the county work crew.

On June 10, Demetri Alejandro Sanchez, 33, pleaded guilty in San Juan County Superior Court to one count of third-degree assault, a Class C felony. He was ordered to serve 6 months in jail, four of which can be served on work release on a work crew, and to pay $1,490 in fines and fees.

According to court documents, an argument over childcare erupted between the former couple shortly after the woman brought their daughter to Sanchez's home for a visit in late January. He reportedly grabbed the woman by the neck, shoulders and hair, shoved her to the floor and dragged her out of his home as the altercation escalated, and as she repeatedly tried to retrieve the girl from his home.

Convicted in Wyoming in 2003 of aggravated assault and battery, a felony, and of reckless endangerment involving a firearm, a misdemeanor, following a barroom brawl, Sanchez reportedly backed away from the altercation only after the couple’s daughter opened the front door of his home and screamed at the sight of her parents battling.

Initially charged with second-degree assault, a Class B felony, and with one count each of misdemeanor assault and interfering with reporting of domestic violence, Sanchez pleaded guilty to the lesser felony offense and was credited with having served eight days of the sentence.

A Class C felony, third-degree assault carries maximum penalties of five years in prison, a $10,000 fine, or both; however, the standard range of sentencing set by the state is three to eight months in jail.

 

Contact Islands Sounder Scott Rasmussen at srasmussen@sanjuanjournal.com or (360) 378-5696.

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