Family discipline dispute leads to assault charge for Navy man

A 30-year-old Navy man is accused of assaulting his wife after she tried to prevent him from disciplining their young children, court documents indicate.

Prosecutors charged Lyle Savage III in Island County Superior Court Oct. 13 with assault in the second degree, a felony domestic violence charge. He pleaded not guilty Oct. 25.

Oak Harbor Police Officer Robert Mirabal responded with Navy security to a report of a domestic assault at a home in Seaplane Base housing Oct. 9. The alleged victim had an injured arm, which the ER doctor later said was broken, Mirabal’s report states.

Mirabal wrote that Savage came home that night after drinking at a friend’s house. He went into the bedroom of their children, ages 3, 5 and 6, and said he was going to spank them for not going to bed. The woman got between Savage and the children and told him to get out. She claimed he grabbed her by the arm, yelled at her and shoved her backwards into a wall, the police report states.

The woman hit the wall with enough force to cause a large hole, the report indicates.

In an interview with Mirabal, Savage admitted that his wife stopped him from disciplining the children; but he said she shoved him first, so he shoved her back, the officer wrote.

Savage agreed to provide a breath sample, which showed his blood-alcohol content was at 0.212. By comparison, the blood-alcohol limit for driving is 0.08.

The woman said Savage had previously assaulted her.

“She said she is very afraid of Savage and wants no more contact with him,” Mirabal wrote.

If convicted of the felony assault charge, Savage could face from three to nine months in jail. The judge entered an order barring Savage from having contact with his wife.

Contact Whidbey News Times Assistant editor Jessie Stensland at jstensland@whidbeynewsgroup.com or 360.675.6611 ext. 5056.

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