PORT TOWNSEND — A Port Townsend man facing 17 charges related to domestic violence has had his case dismissed without prejudice.
Christopher Owen Reeves, 32, briefly appeared in Jefferson County Superior Court on Friday before Judge Keith Harper, but the case was dismissed because the victim could not be reached, according to court documents.
He was released later in the day from the Jefferson County Jail, where he had been held for the past month.
Charges can be re-filed when they are dismissed without prejudice. If a case is dismissed with prejudice, it can not be re-filed.
Reeves’ trial scheduled to begin Nov. 4 has been canceled.
Before they were dismissed, prosecutors amended charges against Reeves to a total of 17 counts ranging from second-degree assault with a deadly weapon to second-degree suffocation, court documents state.
Reeves was arrested following a September incident in Port Townsend that involved making threats to kill his wife, charging papers state.
He had pleaded not guilty to the original charges as well as the amended information, which was filed Oct. 4.
Prosecutors identified three different dates in which they say Reeves attacked or threatened to kill his wife, court documents stated.
Separate second-degree assault charges were filed with deadly weapon enhancements for a chair and a steak knife, and two charges were filed for second-degree suffocation, court documents said.
The records said Reeves also was charged with second-degree assault with substantial bodily harm.
Harassment charges included both threats to injure and threats to kill, and four charges specified the unlawful carrying or handling of steak knives, a baseball bat, a gun and a sword.
Port Townsend police responded just after 7 a.m. Sept. 15 to the 700 block of Tyler Street, where a woman reported Reeves had been drinking and became angry with her. She told police Reeves threw furniture and knives around the house.
The woman told police she refused to give him keys to the car because his license was suspended and he was drunk. She said Reeves took a baseball bat and smashed the windows and side of the car, then left on foot.
Court documents state the woman was afraid for her life because Reeves “told her he was going to take her out to the coast and make her disappear.”
She later provided a written statement to police that stated Reeves “threatened to take her out in the street and smash her head in.”
A Jefferson County Sheriff’s deputy located Reeves in downtown Port Townsend while the officer was conducting an investigation at the house and placed Reeves into custody.
Reeves reportedly denied the altercation, and he claimed the woman was responsible for the damage.
Reeves had a 0.191 blood-alcohol content — more than twice the legal limit of 0.08 — when the responding officer conducted a preliminary breath test, according to court documents.
The woman also provided a preliminary breath test, which indicated there was no alcohol in her system, documents stated.
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Jefferson County Managing Editor Brian McLean can be reached at 360-385-2335, ext. 6, or at bmclean@peninsuladailynews.com.
