Oak Harbor man charged with assaulting girlfriend

A 29-year-old Oak Harbor man is facing possible prison time for allegedly choking his girlfriend and forcibly preventing her from leaving her apartment, court documents indicate.

A 29-year-old Oak Harbor man is facing possible prison time for allegedly choking his girlfriend and forcibly preventing her from leaving her apartment, court documents indicate.

Prosecutors charged Michael Chappelle in Island County Superior Court Nov. 10 with second-degree assault, harassment, unlawful imprisonment and fourth-degree assault. They are all filed as domestic violence-related charges.

Oak Harbor Police Officer Serloyd Carter investigated the alleged assault that occurred Nov. 4 and 5. A 25-year-old woman reported that Chappelle had been drinking and assaulted her after she came home from work. She claimed he threw her to the ground and choked her; she was able to escape to another room, according to the police report.

The next night, Chappelle assaulted her while she was in bed and threw her around the room, she claimed. He told her he had her keys and she couldn’t leave; he also threatened to kill her if she left, according to the report.

After he was arrested, Chappelle denied that he assaulted the woman. He suggested that she harmed herself to get him in trouble, Carter wrote.

If convicted if all the charges against him, Chappelle could face up to a year and two months in prison under the standard sentencing range.