BARRE — A Warren man is accused of attacking and restraining a woman.
Jason Pratt, 35, pleaded not guilty by video Monday in Washington County criminal court in Barre to felony counts of first-degree aggravated domestic assault and first-degree unlawful restraint and misdemeanor counts of unlawful mischief and interference with access to emergency services.
If convicted, Pratt faces a maximum sentence of 31 years and six months in prison. He was ordered held at Northwest State Correctional Facility in St. Albans on $10,000 bail with 10% needed to be posted for his release.
Trooper Paul Pennoyer, of the Vermont State Police, said in his affidavit on April 17 at about 4:45 a.m. a woman called police to report a friend had come to her home in Waitsfield to get away from a highly-intoxicated male who was acting aggressively towards her. Pennoyer said the witness identified the male as Pratt and reported he had been involved with the victim. He said police were told Pratt had punched the victim in the face, restrained her and took her car keys. The trooper said he went to the scene and found the victim who had bruises on her face and arms.
The victim told police Pratt had come home drunk and laid on top of her, according to court records. Pennoyer said the victim reported she tried to get up, but Pratt restrained her. He said she reported Pratt picked her up and threw her on the bed. The victim reported Pratt pinned her to the bed, and it was difficult for her to breathe, according to court records.
Pennoyer said the victim reported she bit Pratt on the arms in an effort to escape. The trooper said the victim reported Pratt punched her in the head, choked her and took her cellphone.
She told police she was eventually able to leave the home, but when she got to her vehicle, Pratt pulled her out of it and took the key, according to court records. Pennoyer said the victim tried to call 911 from the home, but Pratt ripped the phone out of the wall before she could.
The trooper said the victim reported she thought she was going to die when Pratt choked her.
Pennoyer said he then spoke with Pratt who smelled of alcohol. He said Pratt reported the victim “can be physical” with him, so he admitted to lying on the victim and restraining her to calm her down after she became upset. The trooper said he asked Pratt how the victim got a black eye, but Pratt didn’t offer an explanation.
Pennoyer said he saw the phone line had been ripped from the wall and Pratt gave no explanation for that, either. Pratt told the trooper the victim had bit him and Pennoyer said he saw multiple marks on Pratt’s arm. Pennoyer said Pratt reported if he had given the victim a black eye, it wasn’t intentional and he denied striking the victim.
The trooper said after Pratt was taken into custody, he became upset while being processed and damaged a desk in the processing room at the Middlesex barracks. Pennoyer said Pratt also bent a set of handcuffs and broke a lens on the holding cell camera by repeatedly throwing a trash can at the camera. He said Pratt provided a preliminary sample of his breath which showed he had blood alcohol content of 0.083% shortly before 10 a.m.
