Judge revoked man’s bail for violating no-contact orders

A judge revoked bail on a 36-year-old man who is facing prison time for continually violating a no-contact orders issued by three different courts, according to court documents.

Prosecutors charged Christopher P. Hightower of Oak Harbor in Island County Superior Court Nov. 25 with felony violation of a court order and malicious mischief in the third degree. Prosecutors have also asked to add a fourth-degree assault to the charges.

Under state law, violating a court order becomes a felony when there’s two previous convictions.

A deputy with the Island County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a domestic problem at a Clinton home June 29, 2019. The man said he was in an argument with family members when Hightower assaulted him, the deputy wrote in his report.

The man reported that Hightower left with a woman who had a no-contact order on him.

A few hours later, the man reported to 911 that Hightower had returned, running into the front door and punching the glass, the deputy wrote.

The deputy found Hightower drinking a beer in a barn on the property and arrested him, the report states.

Hightower posted $25,000 bail on Jan. 13 of this year but then didn’t appear for a Feb. 18 court hearing because he was in Snohomish County Jail. The judge authorized a $35,000 warrant for his arrest.

According to a report by a Marysville police officer, Hightower is accused of violating the no-contact order again by messaging the same woman and then going to her Marysville home on Valentine’s Day. He was ordered not to contact the woman by judges in Island County District Court, Everett Municipal Court and Island County Superior Court.

Hightower punched the woman in the face and the leg, the officer wrote.

Hightower appeared in Island County Superior Court via video March 23. Judge Alan Hancock quashed the warrant and agreed with the prosecution’s request to revoke his bail because he had violated numerous conditions of his release, court documents indicate.