A 41-year-old Battle Ground man who had allegedly violated a domestic violence no-contact order and stalked his estranged wife was arrested Sunday in Arlington after deputies apprehended him in the woods outside of her home.
Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office deputies located in the woods, where Shane Westin had been hiding, a backpack containing a thick plastic bag with string around it, bear spray and camouflage clothing, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Westin, who also goes by the name Waliezer, was booked into the Snohomish County Jail on suspicion of first-degree domestic violence assault, stalking and violating a restraining order. He’s also accused in an unrelated case involving an allegation of second-degree rape, which deputies learned about during their investigation, court records say.
The incident on Sunday, first reported by The Daily Herald in Everett, started when deputies responded shortly before 5 a.m. to a call of suspicious activity at a residence in Arlington. A woman called 911 to report hearing someone outside of her bedroom window. When her house guest went to investigate, they saw a man run from the side yard into a wooded area, according to the probable cause affidavit.
The woman was worried that the man was Westin, her estranged husband who had been arrested for stalking her a month prior, court records say. The narrative of the investigation refers to him as Westin, but he faces charges under the name Waliezer.
Responding deputies spotted the man in the woods as they approached the property. The two deputies confronted the hiding man. What happened next is being investigated by the Snohomish County Multiple Agency Response Team, which is assigned to cases involving possible use of deadly force by law enforcement.
“After a brief altercation, one deputy deployed a Taser. Immediately after the Taser deployment, deputies observed a self-inflicted neck wound on the 41-year-old man, called for aid and the man was transported to the (hospital),” the task force said in a news release. Westin was treated and released from the hospital, and taken to the jail Monday, the news release says.
Investigators found the backpack of supplies in the woods where they found the man, according to the affidavit. A small helium tank was inside the backpack. They also located a knife and sheath. The items are referred to as “a potential murder/suicide kit” in the allegations.
The investigators noted what appeared to be a footprint in the flower bed just outside the victim’s bedroom window.
Both the woman and her guest told investigators they were sleeping in the bedroom when they heard a crunching noise in the flower bed. The room’s window was open due to recent hot weather.
She said she and Westin were married for a short time, and they had relationship issues due to “Westin’s controlling and assaultive behavior,” the affidavit says.
In August 2019, she came home early from work and suspected that Westin had sexually assaulted a young woman there, the court records say. She kicked Westin out of the home and filed a restraining order barring him from coming back, according to the affidavit.
Westin allegedly ignored the order and harassed and stalked the woman. At one point, he threatened suicide; after his arrest, investigators found materials in his bag related to his prior threats of suicide.
The estranged wife said Westin had been living in Battle Ground, which means he traveled nearly 3 1/2 hours to carry out the alleged attack, according to the affidavit.
Westin’s bail was set at $1 million, The Daily Herald reported. Online court records show he was scheduled to be arraigned in the assault and stalking case Wednesday.
Source: https://www.columbian.com
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