Man accused of suffocating, assaulting girlfriend

MOSES LAKE — A Moses Lake woman claims she was assaulted by her boyfriend after she informed him she wanted to put on some makeup and clean their truck.

Grant County prosecutors charged Michael Deverna, 51, of Moses Lake, with second-degree assault-domestic violence, fourth-degree assault-domestic violence and interfering with reporting of domestic violence.

On Sunday Moses Lake Police Department officers responded to the 1000 block of South Ashley Way after receiving a report of a possible domestic violence incident. The reporting party claimed her boyfriend, Deverna, got mad at her because she wanted to put on some makeup to go and clean their truck, according to court documents.

She said Deverna struck her in the face with an open hand, which left a mark that a responding officer was able to observe. The woman described Deverna getting on top of her and grabbing her by the throat while they were on her bed.

“(The victim) described how Deverna then covered her mouth with his hand and she had to try to pull it off. (The victim) said she was unable to breath for a few seconds while she was being choked,” wrote a officer.

Deverna initially refused to leave his South Ashley Way residence, but later exited and was taken into custody for questioning. Deverna admitted he had gotten into an argument with his girlfriend and confirmed she said she wanted to go clean their truck. He claimed his girlfriend’s intention to clean the truck was not the truth and believed she was seeing someone else. With regard to how the argument got physical, Deverna said he saw his girlfriend’s arm move and, not knowing if she was going to hit him or not, he backhanded her.

“He admitted the mark on her forehead was a result of the backhand strike,” wrote a officer.

When asked about the marks on the woman’s neck, Deverna said he was trying to make her be quiet so he put his hands over her mouth. He went on to state he didn’t believe he restricted the woman’s ability to breathe. Deverna informed police the victim attempted to bite him and showed officers a scratch on his left hand.

Richard Byrd can be reached via email at city@columbiabasinherald.com.