Gun threat in Coupeville domestic dispute produces charges
March 19, 2013 · Updated 5:09 PM
A 44-year-old Coupeville man is facing a felony charge for allegedly pointing a shotgun at his girlfriend’s head and threatening to kill her, according to court documents.
Prosecutors charged Nicholas Burnett in Island County Superior Court on March 6 with second-degree assault and interfering with the reporting of domestic violence.
Four deputies responded to the report that the suspect in a domestic assault was armed with a shotgun in the early morning hours of March 2 at a rural Coupeville home, according to the report by Deputy James Scott with the Island County Sheriff’s Office.
The deputies arrived to find Burnett on the porch, yelling and waving his hands around. Scott ordered him to drop an object in his hands, which turned out to be a bong, the report said. A shotgun was found nearby.
The alleged victim said she and Burnett got into a fight over firewood earlier that night. She said Burnett dared her to punch him; when she did, he hit her in the face and threw deck furniture around in a rage, Scott wrote in his report. The woman said she tried to called 911, but Burnett took her cell phone and broke it. He got a shotgun, pointed it at her head and “told her he was going to kill her then kill himself because that was love,” the deputy wrote.
If convicted of the charges, Burnett could face from six months to a year in jail.
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