A man has pleaded not guilty in Cowlitz County Superior Court to multiple charges stemming from two alleged separate assaults on women he previously dated.
Daniel John George Gartner, 36, pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to charges from both cases: first-degree robbery, theft, malicious mischief, assault, and interfering with a victim’s call to 911.
Most recent court records say he is a transient, but documents from 2024 say he is from Cougar.
He was in Cowlitz County Jail as of Monday afternoon, with bail set at $40,000.
Two no-contact orders have been issued to protect both victims.
June 26
The most recent case occurred on June 26, according to court records.
Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded at about 7:35 p.m. to a reported assault at a company’s parking lot in the 4200 block of Ocean Beach Highway.
The victim told authorities she was sitting in her car when Gartner pulled up in a Ford truck behind her and blocked her in.
Gartner then allegedly started yelling and demanding her purse and car keys. She tried to roll up her windows and lock her driver’s side door, but he forced his way into the vehicle, arresting documents show.
She tried to place her keys into the ignition, but Gartner punched her in the arm, the report continues.
He took her purse and car keys, and left on foot. The total value of the purse’s contents was less than $750, according to her estimation to police.
The victim and Gartner had dated for about a month and a half, the report states, and broke up after a previous incident in which he reportedly stole her keys.
July 2024
The year prior, Gartner had another physical altercation with a different woman he had dated at a Longview home, court records show.
According to the July 2024 report, Gartner was inside the victim’s apartment when she came home. He stopped her from calling 911, and threw her to the ground.
The two had lived together, and she had recently asked him to move out, arresting documents show.
Once he grabbed keys to her storage unit — where she had placed his items after the break up — he left, the report states. However, the victim told police he had his own key and didn’t need hers.
Cowlitz County Superior Court Judge Patricia Fassett appointed a public defender to represent Gartner on July 9.
Court records show Gartner’s next hearing is scheduled for the morning of Aug. 6 to set a trial date.
Gartner has a criminal history that includes theft, assaulting a minor, and tampering with a witness.
