Man awakes to hatchet attack in apartment complex for sex offenders

A man sleeping in a downtown Spokane apartment woke up when he was struck in the head with a hatchet Monday evening, according to court documents.

The attack happened at the New Washington Apartments at 327 W. Second Ave., which houses dozens of registered sex offenders. Police suspect the man’s boyfriend, 23-year-old Foss C. Raub, and arrested him at a nearby motel.

Police were called to the apartments at about 6 p.m. and found the victim covering his wounds with a blood-soaked towel, according to court documents. One officer wrote that the victim “was shaking and appeared to going into shock because of the injury.”

A neighbor told police that Raub exited the apartment without a shirt and said “hi” before leaving on foot. Raub later walked into the lobby of the FairBridge Inn Express at 211 S. Division St. and told an employee to call police, according to court documents.

He allegedly told the employee, “I hit my boyfriend with an ax.”

Police described the victim’s injuries as “traumatic” and found a trail of blood in the halls of the apartment complex. Inside Raub’s apartment, where the victim had been living, police found a bloody hatchet near an air mattress on the floor.

The victim’s condition couldn’t be determined Tuesday because he is identified only by his last name in court documents.

Raub was arrested at the motel on suspicion of first-degree assault and is being held in the Spokane County Jail on a $75,000 bond. He’s not listed in the county’s database of registered sex offenders.

The New Washington Apartments specialize in housing sex offenders under supervision by the state Department of Corrections. Alcohol and minors aren’t allowed inside. Cameras monitor the halls and exterior.