Freeland man faces domestic violence charges

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, August 4, 2026

A Freeland man was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence after he allegedly admitted to assaulting and unlawfully imprisoning his wife in July, according to court documents.

Prosecutors charged 30-year-old Joseph Williams in Island County Superior Court Aug. 3 with unlawful imprisonment and assault in the fourth degree, both of which are domestic-violence charges.

Deputies responded July 29 after Williams called to report that he had physically assaulted his wife during an argument several days earlier, according to a report by a deputy with the Island County Sheriff’s Office.

According to the report, the couple got into a tense argument. Both Williams and his wife told deputies that when she tried to leave the home to cool off, he prevented her from leaving.

A deputy wrote that Williams grabbed her, forced her downstairs and into a bedroom, pinned her on a bed and intentionally head-butted her, leaving her with a black eye.

The woman told deputies Williams dragged her through the hallway as she tried to hold onto doorways. She also said it was not the first time he had head-butted her, the deputy’s report states.

At a July 30 hearing in superior court, a judge released Williams on his personal recognizance and ordered him not to approach or communicate with his wife.