Man tries to strangle self after assault arrest

A 25-year-old Spokane man was alive and well in the Spokane County Jail on Tuesday night, where police say he tried to strangle himself after severely beating his wife.

Christopher A. Spegal had to be placed in a restraint chair in the jail Sunday when he was booked on suspicion of first-degree assault and first-degree kidnapping. He remained in jail Tuesday night in lieu of $75,000 bail, and on a warrant charging probation violation.

According to court documents, Spegal’s wife, Sheryl L. Bercier, had booted him out of her home in the 5100 block of North Napa Street on Saturday because he was an increasingly violent intravenous methamphetamine user.

Sometime after 3:30 a.m. Sunday, when Bercier came home after visiting her sister, she woke up to find Spegal on top of her, beating her in the face with a closed fist, Bercier told police. The couple’s two children were spending the night with Bercier’s sister at the time.

Court documents allege that Spegal choked Bercier, dragged her onto the floor and kicked her in the head and back. She told police that Spegal repeatedly beat her until he was tired and resumed the assault after resting – until daylight.

Bercier said she vomited blood when Spegal put a knife to her neck and threatened to kill her. Bercier said she told Spegal she would die if she didn’t get to a hospital, and she offered to tell authorities someone else had beaten her.

At that point, according to court documents, Spegal went to a neighbor’s home and claimed that two women had beaten his wife. While he was doing that, Bercier ran to the home of two other neighbors, and Spegal allegedly began chasing her.

Robert and Brandy Valdez told police they took in Bercier, who was covered in blood, and refused to let Spegal in when he pounded on their door. Bercier said she curled into a ball, confident Spegal had come to kill her.

Officers said Spegal appeared to be intoxicated, and he tried to kick the inside of a patrol car when he was arrested.

Police said one of Bercier’s eyes was swollen shut, and she had scrapes and bruises all over her head and neck, a “very swollen” shoulder, and a bite mark on her left arm, which she was cradling.

On the living room floor of Bercier’s house, police said, officers found Spegal’s wallet next to the knife he allegedly used to threaten his wife.