Pierce County sheriff’s deputy charged in domestic violence case
A longtime Pierce County sheriff’s sergeant is accused of beating his wife.
Pat Davidson, 50, was charged Tuesday with unlawful imprisonment and two counts of fourth-degree assault with a domestic violence enhancement.
He pleaded not guilty and was released on his own recognizance.
Superior Court Judge Frank Cuthbertson issued a no-contact order barring Davidson from coming within 500 feet of his wife.
Davidson has been with the Sheriff’s Department for 16 years and was promoted three years ago.
He is currently on administrative leave.
Charging papers give this account:
Davidson and his wife got into an argument Aug. 23 and when she attempted to get away, “he restrained her using a choke hold around the neck area,” records say.
She was able to break free by kicking and elbowing him in the ribs.
At a social gathering the next day, his wife confided in a family member and friend about what happened.
Several people noticed her black eye concealed with makeup, fingerprint bruises on her arms and bruising on her body.
When law enforcement officers questioned Davidson’s wife about the alleged abuse, she told them she’d wrestled with her husband and he put his arms around her chest to calm her down.
Her “version was inconsistent with what she had previously indicated to her friends/family and was in the context of attempting to convince law enforcement not to move forward with the investigation,” prosecutors wrote in charging documents.
Davidson denied any altercation with his wife or seeing bruises on his wife’s body.
On Sept. 7, the couple attended a wedding and stayed afterward for a bonfire.
Davidson allegedly poured an entire can of alcohol over his wife’s head and went to sit down without saying a word.
His wife started crying.
“When one of the guests questioned him about why he would do something like that his response was ‘Oh, 20 plus years, you don’t understand,’” records say.
This story was originally published September 25, 2019 at 10:53 AM.
