ARLINGTON — A barrage of gunfire at his ex-girlfriend’s house has landed an Arlington man in trouble with the law again.
Last year Jason Richardson, 38, was convicted of drug and property crimes. He was allowed to spend half his sentence in prison and the other half getting substance abuse treatment. Prosecutors say Richardson was still under the supervision of the state Department of Corrections in May when he shot at his ex-girlfriend’s house.
She and her two children were home along with her boyfriend. He was shot in the leg.
Prosecutors have charged Richardson with first-degree assault with a weapon. He has 10 prior felony convictions, dating back to 2002. He spent about three years in prison in 2007 for vehicular assault.
The shooting in Arlington happened May 5. The victims told investigators that two people showed up at the house wearing masks. One of them poured gasoline onto vehicles in the driveway and shouted for the woman to come outside, Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Bob Langbehn wrote in charging papers.
She told detectives she immediately recognized the man’s voice as belonging to Richardson. He allegedly pulled out a gun and fired shots toward her home.
Her boyfriend went outside and started throwing rocks at the masked men and the vehicle. The defendant fired one final shot through the windshield of his car. The bullet struck the rock-wielding man in the leg. The two suspects sped away.
The couple recorded most of the incident on their cellphones. They turned the videos over to police.
The man who was shot didn’t seek medical attention. The couple also waited more than two months to report the incident. The man said he didn’t call 911 right away because he doesn’t trust law enforcement, Langbehn wrote.
The videos from the couple show the suspects leaving in a black Ford Fusion. A police report taken that same day shows that Richardson and another man were caught in the car. It had been reported stolen that day. There was a gas can and a bullet casing in the car, Langbehn wrote. There also was a bullet hole in the windshield.
When Richardson was arrested he allegedly had $700 in cash and methamphetamine. There was more evidence that he was engaged in drug dealing, court papers said. Richardson pleaded not guilty to the assault charge Aug. 17. He was being held on $250,000 bail.
Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463; hefley@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @dianahefley.
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