Crime & Safety
2 Men Faces Charges in Spousal Arguments
One woman allegedly had her life threatened and another had her fingers crushed during altercations, police said.
responded to two recent domestic disputes at downtown Novato apartment complexes that resulted in felony charges being faced by two local men, police said Tuesday.
On Sunday, a 60-year-old man was accused by a longtime girlfriend of threatening to kill her during a feud over items he believed had been taken from him, Novato police Sgt. Eric Riddell said. The woman said her boyfriend of 12 years grabbed her by the throat and pushed her against a wall in their apartment in the 800 block of Diablo Avenue before making a statement that he had the ability to kill her, according to the police report. The woman was not injured.
Peter Lamkin was arrested at 11:27 a.m. Sunday and taken to Marin County Jail, where he was booked on counts of making terrorizing threats and battery on a cohabitant. His bail was set at $50,000.
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On Monday, 38-year-old Rafael Alvarez was arrested on suspicion of two felony counts of inflicting corporal injury on a spouse or cohabitant after a dispute Saturday at an apartment on the 1000 block of Seventh Street, Riddell said.
According to the woman involved, Alvarez grabbed a phone out of her hand and squeezed to the point of injuring her fingers and thumb. He pushed her and nearly sent her falling down a flight of stairs, the report said.
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The woman mentioned the incident to someone at Novato Human Needs on Monday and it was reported to police, leading to Alvarez's arrest at the same apartment 5:45 p.m.
Riddell clarified that criminal felony counts can be brought against a person whether or not a victim is hurt.
"The law specifically states that charges can be brought against a person if there is evidence of a physical injury, but even complaints of pain can be a misdemeanor," he said. "It's kind of a zero-tolerance policy."
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Would you like to learn more about ways to avoid domestic disuptes and how to handle them when they occur? Check out the website for the Center for Domestic Peace, home of Marin Abused Women’s Services. The center works to eliminate domestic violence and create greater safety, justice, and equality.
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