A Mossyrock man accused of assaulting a woman and a 14-year-old girl during a domestic dispute on Saturday and then barricading himself inside a residence is now facing domestic violence assault charges.
Derek Steven Keeling, 37, was charged Monday, March 10, in Lewis County Superior Court with two counts of second-degree assault, domestic violence, and one count of fourth-degree assault, domestic violence, following his arrest at approximately 7:15 p.m. on March 8, according to court documents and jail records.
Bail is set at $50,000.
Keeling was arrested after deputies with the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call from a neighbor in the 100 block of Aldrich Road in Mossyrock who reported that Keeling was “pinning down a female” and was “choking (a juvenile) out now,” according to court documents.
The neighbor and the juvenile reported that they heard the woman screaming at Keeling to “get off of her” in the backyard of the residence and went outside to find Keeling “on top of her and (the woman) clearly appeared to be in pain,” according to court documents.
The woman later told responding deputies that “Derek had become angry because of a prank played on him” and, when she attempted to leave “because of Derek’s anger,” he allegedly followed her outside, grabbed her by the left side, forced her to the ground and landed on top of her, injuring her right shoulder.
She reported that she “told Derek to leave her alone multiple times, but he continued to grab her by her injured arm and pull on her,” according to court documents.
Witnesses reported that Keeling “attempted to pick up (the woman) several times” while she told him to leave her alone.
After witnessing the assault, the juvenile reportedly went into the house to pack a bag with the intention of spending the night with a friend or relative.
Keeling allegedly followed her into the house, took her bag, threw it into the shower and turned the water on, according to court documents.
The juvenile reported that she pushed Keeling, “and he responded by grabbing her by the throat and lifting her off the ground,” according to court documents.
She reported that Keeling “did not have a good grip, and this caused her to only be held up for about five seconds.”
Keeling allegedly let go of the girl’s throat, pushed her onto a bed and pinned her down by the shoulders.
“When Derek knew that (the neighbor) had called 911, he let go of her,” according to court documents.
The victims and multiple witnesses were in the roadway outside the residence when law enforcement personnel arrived at the scene.
“Derek was reported to be in the house. Derek was reported to be barricaded inside the house and was refusing to come outside,” the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office stated in charging documents.
Keeling allegedly refused to speak to a deputy who tried to contact him and allegedly told law enforcement “they would need a warrant to come in and get him.”
While deputies were obtaining a warrant, Keeling reportedly “agreed to come outside and surrender,” according to court documents.
“The state is very concerned about the nature of these allegations and the danger to the community that they present,” Deputy Prosecutor Brandi Archer said during Keeling’s preliminary hearing in Lewis County Superior Court on Monday, where she asked for Keeling’s bail to be set at $75,000.
One of the victims relayed to the prosecution that she “is very concerned about her safety should Mr. Keeling get out,” Archer said.
Defense attorney Rachael Tiller asked for bail to be set no higher than $50,000 due to Keeling’s lack of felony history and the fact that he has a stable local address and doesn’t live with either of the two victims.
Keeling’s criminal history includes a reckless driving conviction, several DUI convictions and a fourth-degree assault, domestic violence conviction, according to court documents.
Tiller added that she believed standard release conditions prohibiting Keeling from consuming alcohol should allay any safety concerns.
“The court does have concerns here for community safety,” Judge Paul Strophy said Monday, ultimately setting bail between the two requests.
No-contact orders protecting the victims are in place.
Arraignment is scheduled for Thursday, March 20.
