Police: Man tries to strangle ex-girlfriend within an hour of jail release

BREMERTON, Wash. — A Bremerton man released from the Kitsap County jail is back behind bars after police said he went straight from the lockup to his ex-girlfriend’s house and tried to strangle her.

Vincent Mitchell, 34, served 30 days on a domestic violence charge after he assaulted the girlfriend.

Bremerton police said Mitchell was released at 1:30 p.m. Sunday and at 2:20 p.m., burst into the woman’s east Bremerton home and assaulted her as she took a shower.

“(He) ripped open the shower curtain, grabbed her around the neck and drug her out of the shower into the hallway, wrapped his arm around her neck and strangled her,” said Bremerton police Sgt. Kevin Crane.

The attack stopped when the woman’s roommate walked into the house and Mitchell ran, Crane said.

Police closed off the area as they searched for Mitchell.

“They had the whole end of the street down here blocked off and they weren’t letting anybody in or out of the street,” said neighbor Cheyenne Vandegrift.

Mitchell was found nearby and surrendered without incident.

Mitchell’s bail was set at $500,000 when he appeared in Kitsap County District Court for a probable cause hearing. Mitchell laughed as the judge issued the bail.

A prosecuting attorney said Mitchell has six convictions for domestic violence assault and 20 arrest warrants in his criminal past.  She called Mitchell extremely dangerous and possibly determined to kill his former girlfriend.

It’s not clear if the woman knew Mitchell was being released from custody on Sunday.

“How are you going to go to jail for assaulting a woman and then come back and do it again and then get put back in jail?” Vandegrift said. “It just doesn’t make any sense.”

KIRO