A 37-year-old Powell man faces up to 10 years in prison after allegedly attacking a woman he lived with, punching her in the head multiple times and leaving her bruised and with a chipped front tooth because he didn't believe how many steps she walked during the day.
Catlin Stephen Wolfard is charged with the felony aggravated assault and battery along with domestic battery, a misdemeanor.
Wolfard had his first court appearance Friday morning in Park County Circuit Court, where his bond was set at $10,000.
It started when the woman returned to the home she shared with Wolfard on Monday evening, cleaned the house and started making dinner, per an affidavit written by Powell Police Lt. Dustin DelBiaggio.
Around 8:30 p.m., the two sat down at the kitchen table.
During dinner, she began talking about the number of steps her phone had recorded while she was at work. Wolfard didn't believe the number was accurate, she told investigators, and what began as a mundane disagreement turned into a heated argument.
"Whiskey got involved," she later told police.
Wolfard began drinking Jack Daniel's Tennessee Honey, while she had about two shots. She described herself as about a three on a 10-point scale to drunk, but described Wolfard as "extremely angry."
The two separated for a while, and things appeared to settle down, but she said it didn't last.
White Claw Cans Fly
Around 1 a.m. Tuesday, the two were back in the kitchen when another argument erupted.
The woman said Wolfard began pulling full cans of White Claw from the refrigerator and throwing them at her, though none connected.
She told investigators she became worried the argument was about to turn physical after Wolfard walked over and closed the kitchen window, commenting that the neighbors might hear them.
She bent forward at the waist and put her hands over her head to protect herself as Wolfard approached, she told investigators. He then allegedly punched her two or three times with a closed fist in the back of her head.
"Don't beat me," she said.
"Stop saying I beat you, now you're going to see how it feels to be beat," Wolfard allegedly responded.
The woman retreated into the master bedroom, but Wolfard followed.
Pushed Into Furniture
When she tried to leave, she said Wolfard repeatedly pushed her backward into the room, using his open hands against her upper chest.
She eventually got around him and made it into the living room.
There, she alleged, Wolfard began pushing her around for several minutes, causing her to strike furniture.
The living room contained wood-framed chairs, a couch with little padding and an air mattress on the floor, the affidavit says.
She told investigators she managed to get back to the bedroom and lie down, separating herself from Wolfard.
But at about 3 a.m., Wolfard came into the bedroom and told her he was going to sleep there, and she could sleep in the living room.
She claims she left her cellphone in the bed, and when she asked Wolfard to give it back, he refused.
Chipped Tooth
Wolfard then allegedly punched the woman twice in the face with a closed fist.
She described one as a glancing blow as she turned away. The other, she said, landed directly on her mouth and chipped the bottom of her left front tooth.
She went into the living room and fell asleep while Wolfard remained in the bedroom.
When she woke later that morning, she grabbed her phone while Wolfard was still sleeping and called the police.
She said abuse was "normal," but Wolfard had never punched her before that night.
Police later noticed bruises on the woman's body that appeared to be in various stages of healing.
Some bruising on her chest, she said, came from a separate domestic incident with Wolfard about a week earlier.
Investigators also wrote that the woman discovered a hard mass developing inside her right breast that she attributed to the recent altercation.
Powell Hospital EMS was called, and she agreed to go to the Powell Valley Healthcare emergency room for her injuries and a forensic examination.
What Wolfard Said
Wolfard left the residence after waking up around 3:30 p.m. Tuesday and was arrested a short time later, according to the affidavit.
He told officers she bruised easily and fell frequently. He also said bruising on her left arm came from the two playing "tug of war" on paddleboards at Deaver Reservoir the previous weekend.
The woman disputed both explanations.
DelBiaggio wrote that investigators believed Wolfard had attempted to cause the woman serious bodily injury by pushing her into furniture, punching her and breaking her tooth, and repeatedly striking the back of her head.
According to the Park County Sheriffs Office, Wolfard remains in custody.
Kolby Fedore can be reached at kolby@cowboystatedaily.com.
