PORT TOWNSEND — A February trial date has been set for a woman accused of attacking her sleeping husband with the blunt edge of a hatchet while talking about a dream.
Anna Young, 59, pleaded not guilty during an arraignment Friday before Jefferson County Superior Court Commissioner Eileen Baratuci. Trial was set for Feb. 28.
Young is charged with first-degree assault with great bodily harm and the use of a deadly weapon with domestic violence, and interfering with reporting domestic violence, according to court documents.
First-degree assault is a Class A felony punishable by up to life in prison and/or up to $50,000 in fines. The interfering with reporting charge is a gross misdemeanor, punishable by up to 364 days in jail and/or a $5,000 fine.
Port Townsend Police Department officers and Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office deputies investigated a report at about 5 a.m. Nov. 2 from people in the 1900 block of 14th Street in Port Townsend who said that a neighbor was outside ringing the doorbell, injured and holding a hammer.
The man, who was later identified as Ronald Stevens, had told investigators that Young had reportedly awakened him early Tuesday morning, saying “he was in a dream” and attacked him with the blunt end of a hatchet that was in the bedroom, according to the report filed by Detective Jon Stuart of the Port Townsend Police Department.
It was not clear Friday what was meant by Young’s alleged statement that Stevens was “in a dream,” which originally was interpreted to mean she had dreamed about him.
The sheriff’s office said Friday that will have to be addressed in court.
Stevens fled the bedroom and tried to call 9-1-1, but he said Young would not allow him to reach a phone and struck him with the ax, the report said.
Eventually, the man ran into the kitchen, where he grabbed a cast iron skillet and struck Young in the head before he fled into the garage, grabbed a hammer and ran to a neighbor’s house, the report said.
Stevens was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle early that morning from Jefferson Healthcare hospital and was reportedly in satisfactory condition by the end of that day.
As of Friday, he was no longer at Harborview, a hospital spokesperson said.
Baratuci on Friday declined a request from Young’s attorney, Scott Charlton, for Young’s bail — which extended family had posted for her — to be reduced from $100,000 to $50,000 due to financial constraints.
Charlton said Young isn’t a flight risk and would appear in court.
Prosecuting Attorney James Kennedy disagreed, saying the allegations are serious and the $100,000 is a reasonable and “modest request.”
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Jefferson County reporter Zach Jablonski can be reached at 360-385-2335, ext. 5, or at zjablonski@peninsuladailynews.com.
