Carson City man jailed for assault after striking female Washoe Tribe officer with his vehicle
A Carson City man is in custody after he allegedly assaulted a female Washoe Tribe police officer Wednesday morning, striking her with his vehicle as she was conducting a status check of a recent victim of domestic battery, according to the Tribe's chief of police.
Gary Wood, 71, a long-time resident of the Carson Indian Community, was taken into custody Wednesday after turning himself in. The officer was not injured, said Washoe Tribe Chief of Police David Blackeye.
The officer was investigating after Wood had violated a restraining order barring him from the residence where a domestic battery incident happened. The WTPD officer was conducting a check on the victim as part of the Washoe Tribe’s Domestic Violence Program. She is a sworn officer that deals specifically with domestic violence and sexual assault investigations.
The WTPD officer happened to be conducting the victim check when Mr. Wood drove to the residence and parked near the driveway. The officer recognized him and ordered him to stop and exit the vehicle, the police chief said. Wood ignored the officer’s orders and instead drove his vehicle toward the officer until the front of the vehicle of the made contact with the officer’s body pushing her back.
The officer drew her weapon and issued further commands to Wood and was able to move out of the way of the vehicle and avoid major injury. Wood sped away from the scene and avoided immediate capture, the police chief said.
The incident happened at around 7 a.m. At 11:30, just hours after the incident, Wood showed up at the Washoe Tribal Court to make a voluntary statement about the incident.
Wood was arrested on tribal charges by WTPD officers for failure to obey a court order, assault and stalking. Felony federal charges are pending, according to the police chief.