Coeur d’Alene man charged in alleged stabbing
COEUR d’ALENE — A man is facing felony charges after he allegedly stabbed his former roommate.
Shawn R. Puckett, 49, of Coeur d’Alene, is charged with battery with intent to commit a serious felony, aggravated battery and intimidating a witness, all felonies.
The charges stem from Sunday, when Coeur d’Alene police responded to Puckett’s apartment to perform a welfare check on his former roommate, who had reportedly returned to the residence to collect some of her belongings.
Puckett told police the woman was inside his bedroom and that he “hadn’t done anything to her today.”
The woman did not respond to police right away as they tried to speak with her through the closed bedroom door, but they eventually heard “faint crying” and pained noises from inside the bedroom, according to court records.
When the woman exited the bedroom, police said, her face was covered in blood. She had red marks and bruising on her neck, police said, as well as three lacerations and a bruise on her forearm.
She told police Puckett had threatened to kill her unless she dropped pending battery charges against him.
Puckett allegedly attacked her, attempting to stab her with a kitchen knife. The woman said she sustained the cuts on her arm while struggling with Puckett over the knife, after which he allegedly grabbed her by the hair and slammed her face into the floor multiple times.
The woman was transported to Kootenai Health and treated for her injuries, according to court records.
When questioned by police, Puckett denied attacking the woman and said she took the knife into his bedroom on her own and harmed herself. He also denied trying to coerce the woman into dropping battery charges against him.
Police arrested Puckett at the scene. He remains in the Kootenai County jail.
In Idaho, battery with intent to commit a serious felony is punishable by a maximum of 20 years in prison.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence or sexual abuse, call Safe Passage Violence Prevention Center’s 24-hour helpline: 208-664-9303.