Washington man faces kidnapping, other charges

COEUR d’ALENE — A 51-year old Colbert, Wash., man was arrested at The Coeur d’Alene Resort early Tuesday and charged with second-degree kidnapping and forcible sexual penetration, both felonies, as well as several misdemeanor counts of domestic violence resulting from an alleged attack on his estranged wife in a fifth-floor room.

Russell E. Bartz is in the Kootenai County Jail on a $100,000 bond, awaiting a preliminary hearing which will be scheduled in 14 to 21 days.

Bartz told police, after his arrest around 4 a.m., that he and his wife — the couple is separated, but not divorced — had been drinking heavily the previous evening in downtown Coeur d’Alene and had returned to their room with another woman, who is a friend of his wife.

He and his wife were legally separated after being married for 10 years and were at The Resort in an effort to rekindle their relationship.

Bartz told police he had gone out for more alcohol and when he returned found his wife engaged in sex with the other woman, and he became enraged.

He assaulted his wife, threw her cellphone out the window and disconnected the land line so she could not call police, then took all her clothing and belongings and left the room.

He was confronted by a security guard, and later by officers who detained him while they interviewed the 39-year-old alleged victim who was in the room, but had no clothes.

The victim told police that she had attempted to escape from Bartz through the window, which was still open when police arrived despite it being 20 degrees outside, and the victim having no clothing, an officer noted in a police report.

“(The alleged victim) told me at one point she thought about trying to escape out the window, but couldn’t due to Russell preventing her,” Coeur d’Alene Police Officer Jacob Nielsen wrote. “(She) was willing to endure an approximate 40 to 50 foot drop to get away from Russell.”

Police arrested Bartz in the hotel lobby by taking the 6-feet, 4-inches, 290-pound man to the ground, when he refused to be handcuffed, according to police.

Magistrate Judge Timothy Van Valin agreed Wednesday to the high bond amount pushed by prosecutors because of Bartz’s violent past, the judge said.

“The defendant has a pretty violent criminal history, which crosses multiple states,” Van Valin said.

He denied a request by Bartz to reduce the bond to $50,000. Russell said he needed the remaining cash to secure a defense lawyer.

According to a police report Bartz is also registered as a sex offender in Washington.