MOUNT PLEASANT, MI -- A man was charged with domestic assault after he allegedly pushed his wife around and then wielded a knife and attempted to light his apartment on fire when confronted by police.
Woodrow Lewis, 38, was arraigned Monday, Feb. 5, on one count of domestic assault, a 93-day misdemeanor, relating to an alleged domestic violence situation that turned into a standoff Friday evening, according to Mount Pleasant Police Department Public Information Officer Jeff Browne.
Around 7:15 p.m. Friday, Feb. 2, Lewis and his wife began to argue because he believed she was bugging, or wiretapping, their residence at Country Place Apartments in the 1820 block of South Crawford Road, Browne said.
The argument escalated, and Lewis pushed his wife up against a wall and knocked her over a couch, Browne said. She left, called police and filed a domestic assault report.
Officers went to the apartment to talk with Lewis, who at first did not answer the door but later came to the door with a knife 8 to 10 inches in length, Browne said.
Officers backed off and called in the Isabella County Emergency Services Team.
As police worked on talking Lewis to come out, he attempted to start his apartment on fire by burning the drapes, Browne said. Nearby residents in the apartment complex were evacuated.
Pepper spray was then filtered into Lewis' apartment, Browne said. He surrendered without incident.
The Mount Pleasant Police Department was assisted by the Mount Pleasant Fire Department, Michigan State Police, Central Michigan University Police, the Isabella County Sheriff's Office and Mobile Medical Response.
Lewis was given a $10,000 bond.