Police: Man assaults girlfriend, fires shots outside residence
Sep. 18—EAU CLAIRE — An Eau Claire man argued with and physically assaulted his live-in girlfriend, and fired several shots outside their residence, police say.
A portion of the assault was witnessed by police, authorities say.
Joshua C. Long, 32, 912 Oxford Ave., was charged Friday in Eau Claire County Court with felony counts of second-degree recklessly endangering safety and intimidation of a victim, and misdemeanor counts of battery and disorderly conduct.
A $2,500 signature bond was set for Long, which prohibits him from having contact with the woman, drinking alcohol, entering taverns, and possessing firearms and other weapons.
Long returns to court Oct. 26.
According to the criminal complaint:
Eau Claire police were called to an Eau Claire residence at 9:50 p.m. Wednesday on a report of shots fired near the residence. A man, later identified as Long, had a gun and fired four or five shots. Several callers confirmed that shots had been fired.
Officers arrived and approached the residence. They saw a woman through a window. She appeared to be crying and upset. They could see items being thrown around near the woman.
Soon after, Long shoved the woman onto the floor of the bedroom. While yelling at the woman, Long proceeded to kick and punch her while she screamed and attempted to protect herself.
Officers determined entrance needed to be made and were able to remove the woman from a window. Phone contact was then made with Long, who exited the residence and was taken into custody.
The woman told police she and Long both had the day off from work. They went out to eat and then had several drinks.
An argument started after they got home. The woman said she could not remember what the argument was about. She said she remembers being pushed and then went to a neighbor's house to escape Long.
The woman returned home and the next thing she remembered was being retrieved from the residence by officers.
A witness told police that while the woman was at the neighbor's residence, Long called her and told her to meet him near the backyard. The woman left the neighbor's house to try to calm Long down outside.
Less than a minute later, the witness heard four or five gunshots. The witness thought Long had shot the woman. The witness locked the doors and called police.
Officers arrived a short time later.
If convicted of the felony charges, Long could be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison.
