Oak Harbor man accused of fracturing woman’s skull

Published 1:30 am Friday, March 23, 2018

An Oak Harbor man is accused of hitting a woman and fracturing her skull, according to court documents.

Prosecutors charged Dederick R. Norwood, 23, in Island County Superior Court March 20 with assault in the second degree. It was charged as a domestic-violence-related crime.

The 21-year-old victim reported the assault to Oak Harbor police the morning of March 19.

The woman told police that her boyfriend, Norwood, got upset that she wouldn’t consent to a specific sex act. He followed her out of the bedroom and punched her in the face with a closed fist, according to a police report on the incident.

The officer noted that the bruising under the woman’s eye became darker just in the time she was talking to her. The victim had trouble walking and was spitting up blood, the officer wrote. She also reported having bruising from an earlier assault.

The woman was later diagnosed at the hospital with “an orbital floor fracture” and a probable concussion, the report states.

If convicted of the charge, Norwood could face from three to nine months under the standard sentencing range.