Court docs: Spokane police officer accused of assaulting girlfriend had history of domestic violence

The girlfriend of a Spokane police officer charged with assaulting her alleges the officer had a history of abuse, including, at one point, passing a firearm across a table and telling her she should commit suicide.

Officer Nicholas J. Spolski, 37, was charged Friday with fourth-degree domestic assault. At his first court appearance Friday afternoon, a judge set bail at $5,000. Spolski posted bond soon after.

Spolski was placed on paid administrative leave following his arrest, police said in a news release. An Internal Affairs investigation will proceed after the criminal investigation has been completed.

On Thursday, the same night Spolski was arrested, the officer’s live-in girlfriend told Spokane County Sheriff’s deputies her boyfriend of nine months had “assaulted her numerous times” at their apartment in the 1600 block of North Hatch Road, according to court documents. She said he’d slapped and punched her in the face and kicked or punched her while she was on the ground.

The woman told detectives she felt pain from the assault and had bruises, deputies wrote in court documents. She sought treatment at Deaconess Hospital.

The woman also said that, on two different occasions, Spolski held a silver-colored gun to his head and “chest bumped” her while repeatedly telling her that he was going to kill himself. She told deputies she didn’t consider his behavior suicidal, but rather an intimidation tactic to scare her.

Once, though, she told Spolski she was feeling depressed, which was when the officer slid the same silver-colored handgun across the table and told her to “kill herself,” according to court documents.

In November, the couple moved to a new residence in the 4300 block of East Woodglen Court. On Nov. 26, the couple were arguing on the front porch of their residence when, the woman said, Spolski grabbed a wooden chair and slammed it down on her left hand and left foot, causing bruising, according to court documents.

On Friday, deputies filed a search warrant in Spokane Superior Court requesting access to the couple’s cellphones. The woman told deputies she believed Spolski installed surveillance software on her phone that allowed him to spy on her while she used her phone. She told detectives she was concerned enough to borrow a relative’s phone to prevent Spolski from viewing her activity.

During a search of the couple’s home, deputies seized several firearms, including four handguns, five rifles, four shotguns and three semi-automatic rifles.