A California man has been arrested on assault charges after he allegedly punched a woman in the mouth and knocked out her tooth during an argument at a Centralia motel last week.
Officers with the Centralia Police Department were dispatched to a motel in the 1300 block of Belmont Avenue just before 12:45 p.m. on July 1 for a report of a domestic dispute. When they arrived, they saw the alleged victim had “red marks on both sides of her face, a cut upper lip and was missing a tooth,” according to court documents.
Daniel Luzania, 28, of Merced, California, is accused of punching the woman during an argument “over a car” a day or so prior then punching her again on July 1 after she reportedly threw a donut at him during an argument.
Police located Luzania a short distance away from the motel and he was arrested. He has since been charged with one count each of second-degree assault, domestic violence and fourth-degree assault, domestic violence.
Given the violent nature of the offense and the fact that Luzania had no significant ties to the community, Deputy Prosecutor Will Halstead asked Judge J. Andrew Toynbee to set Luzania’s bail at $100,000 during Luzania’s preliminary appearance hearing in Lewis County Superior Court on Tuesday.
Defense Attorney Rachael Tiller, however, asked Toynbee to lower the bail amount to $25,000 due to his financial situation and a lack of violent offenses on his criminal record. Tiller also insisted that Luzania would be able to reside locally with a relative for the duration of the case if he was released.
Toynbee opted to set Luzania’s bail at $50,000 “due to no significant ties (to the area) and the nature of the offense, but also taking into account that he doesn’t have any similar violent offenses,” he said Tuesday.
Toynbee also issued a no-contact order protecting the alleged victim.
Luzania’s next court appearance is an attorney status hearing scheduled for Thursday, July 7.
