A San Juan Island man accused of pummeling the mother of his two children with his fists and his feet, and of trying to stab a man with a knife in the wake of that alleged assault, will stand trial for misdemeanor and felony assault in early August.
On June 18, Mick Gorski, 29, pleaded innocent in San Juan County Superior Court to one count of second-degree assault, a Class B felony, and to one count of fourth-degree assault, a gross misdemeanor. Bail was set at $1,000.
According to court documents, prosecutors claim Gorski struck the 26-year-woman in the back of the head, threw her to the floor, and then kicked her in the chest as a heated argument between the former couple erupted into an altercation in the woman’s Friday Harbor apartment. Their two daughters, ages 5 and 3, were reportedly inside the apartment at the time the attack allegedly occurred.
Moments after leaving the apartment, authorities claim Gorski then attacked a man waiting by the stairwell below the woman’s apartment, who had come to visit her at her home. He first punched and then allegedly tried to stab the man, who’s shirt reportedly was torn by the blade as he lunged out of the way, and then fled the scene.
Gorski was tracked down and taken into custody at the home of a friend on June 14, several hours after the assaults allegedly occurred. According to authorities in Island County, he posted bail and was released — though under court orders and pending trial — about a week after his arraignment hearing.
If convicted of second-degree assault, a Class B felony, Gorski would face up to 10 years in prison, a $20,000 fine, or both. Fourth-degree assault, a gross misdemeanor, carries maximum penalties of one year in jail, a $5,000 fine, or both.
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An Orcas Island man accused of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl in the backseat of his car will stand trial in October for rape.
On June 18, Peter Anderson, 18, pleaded innocent in San Juan County Superior Court to one count of second-degree rape, a Class A felony. If convicted, he would face maximum penalties of life in prison, a $50,000 fine, or both.
Anderson, ordered to abide to a nightly curfew, was released under court orders pending trial, and is represented in case by the Coupeville-based law firm of Arndt and Walker.
Prosecutors claim Anderson forced himself on the 14-year-old and then raped her in the backseat of his car after the two drove to Moran State Park around midnight in late February. The girl reportedly called Anderson earlier that night and had asked whether he would like to get together and “hang out” for awhile, according to court documents.
Anderson was confronted at his home by deputies shortly after the girl’s mother notified authorities of the alleged assault and investigators questioned the 14-year-old, who, according to court documents, also underwent a medical exam.
According to court documents, Anderson told officers that the girl initially had been a willing partner, but then changed her mind because neither one had a condom at the time of their late-night rendezvous.
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An Orcas Island woman accused of breaking into an Eastsound pharmacy and stealing several bottles of prescription painkillers is slated to stand trial on felony burglary and drug charges in August.
On June 11, Sharon Ruth Collins, 51, pleaded innocent in San Juan County Superior Court to two counts of second-degree burglary, a Class B felony, and to one count possession of a controlled substance — hydrocodone, a Class C felony. She was released under court orders pending trial.
According to court documents, Collins became the prime suspect in the May 27 break-in and theft at Ray’s Pharmacy, and break-in of a neighboring gift store, based largely on footage taken by a surveillance camera of a nearby business. A deputy reportedly recognized Collins as the person caught on tape trying without success to break into the pharmacy at about 3:30 a.m.
Someone did break into the drug store during the predawn hours, however, by first breaking into an adjacent shop, Spirit of the Northwest, and then gaining entry into the pharmacy by busting a window separating the two businesses, both of which sustained extensive damage. Numerous droplets of blood were reportedly found inside the pharmacy.
Collins, who, according to court documents, claims to suffer from black-outs, was arrested at her home later that day in connection with the break-ins and theft of several bottles of prescription painkillers. Officers reportedly discovered about 100 tablets of hydrocodone in the pocket of the pants she wore the night of the break-in. She reportedly told officers she has no knowledge of the break-in or theft, or any recollection of events that took place after leaving an Eastsound bar at about 1 a.m.
A Class B felony, second-degree burglary carries maximum penalties of 10 years in prison, a $20,000 fine, or both; possession of a controlled substance carries maximum penalties of five years in prison, a $10,000 fine, or both.
