SPOKANE — A man who was accused of hitting and kidnapping his girlfriend pleaded guilty Monday to second-degree assault and one count of unlawful imprisonment, according to court documents.
Brandon Marquardt, 39, was arrested Sept. 13 on suspicion of these charges after a witness found a woman later identified as Marquardt’s girlfriend bleeding on the side of Barker Road in Spokane Valley.
The victim told deputies she had tried to end the relationship shortly before he found her and told her to get into his car, the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. The evening of Sept. 12, Marquardt told the victim to get into his Subaru and they drove toward the airport.
During that drive, the victim told investigators, Marquardt started slapping and then punching her. He also threatened to kill her and then refused to take her to the hospital, the victim told investigators. She was eventually treated at the hospital after a witness found her on Barker Road, and that’s where investigators interviewed her.
