PORT TOWNSEND — A Port Hadlock man has been charged with first-degree burglary after he allegedly entered the Port Townsend winter shelter and assaulted another man.
Devlin Andrew Dudley, 31, also was charged this week with fourth-degree assault and disorderly conduct.
Dudley was released on personal recognizance following his initial appearance Tuesday before Judge Keith Harper in Jefferson County Superior Court. He is scheduled to be arraigned at 8:30 a.m. Friday.
First-degree burglary is a Class A felony punishable by a maximum of life in prison and/or a $50,000 fine. Fourth-degree assault is a gross misdemeanor and disorderly conduct is a misdemeanor.
Charging documents filed Tuesday allege Dudley was involved in an altercation at about 2:16 a.m. Monday outside of the American Legion Hall in the 200 block of Monroe Street, which houses the winter shelter in the basement.
Port Townsend Police Officer Trevor Hansen wrote in his report that Dudley, who allegedly later admitted he was drunk, entered the shelter and complained to an employee about a dog in distress in a truck on the street.
Both the truck and the dog belonged to a third man, Russell Harding III, and all three went outside toward the vehicle, according to court documents.
Once they reached the truck, Dudley reportedly became aggressive toward Harding, and the shelter employee told Dudley he was no longer welcome, according to the police report.
Dudley allegedly opened the door to the truck, and Harding’s dog escaped, according to the report.
Court documents say Dudley pushed or shoved Harding, and the two engaged in a fight.
Video surveillance outside the shelter showed a brief struggle on the ground before Harding stood over Dudley and possibly kicked him in the head, according to the police report.
The footage showed Harding and the shelter employee walk away, and Dudley allegedly chased after them.
Dudley reportedly attacked the shelter employee, who responded by punching Dudley in the head multiple times as he attempted to defend himself, court documents say.
As other shelter guests tried to protect the employee, Harding returned and reportedly kicked Dudley in the head multiple times, according to the police report.
The documents also stated Dudley ran through the shelter and screamed as he jumped over beds and a low wall.
A separate shelter volunteer chased Dudley with a baseball bat to get him to leave, according to court documents.
Dudley was arrested and taken to Jefferson Healthcare hospital following the incident, which lasted about 12 minutes, according to the police report.
Hansen said Dudley told him in a recorded interview that he sometimes goes into a “blacked out” state of rage, and he is very violent when that happens.
“He repeatedly asked me if he killed someone and expressed relief that he had not done so,” Hansen wrote in his report.
Police officers were still looking for Harding Friday on investigation of multiple counts of assault.
“Although Dudley committed multiple crimes, including assaulting [the shelter employee], and although Harding may have been justified in the use of some force to try to prevent the intrusion into his vehicle or the theft of his dog, nothing that Dudley did rose to a level that could reasonably justify repeated, sustained kicks to Dudley’s undefended head,” Hansen wrote in his report.
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Jefferson County Managing Editor Brian McLean can be reached at 360-385-2335, ext. 6, or at bmclean@peninsuladailynews.com.
