Man who ‘pistol-whipped’ woman gets nine-year sentence

A 36-year-old man will spend more than nine years in prison for “pistol-whipping” and strangling a woman who disturbed him while he was sleeping, the Spokane Police Department said Wednesday.

Adrian A. Washington pleaded guilty to first-degree burglary, second-degree assault and unlawful possession of a firearm last week in Spokane County Superior Court. He originally faced six felony charges for the assault, which took place at a home in the 1600 block of East Desmet Avenue.

Police responded to a local hospital June 2 and interviewed a woman who said Washington, a friend of a friend, had assaulted her at the home. Officers later searched the home and found bullet holes in a TV and a refrigerator. They also found a gun and five spent casings.

Washington was arrested the next day carrying a stolen gun. In 2010, he was identified as a person of interest after a Mercedes registered in his name was involved in two drive-by shootings.