Man accused of assaulting neighbor with sledge hammer in Spokane apartment

A 45-year-old Spokane resident is accused of hitting another man living in his apartment building on the head with a sledge hammer, causing multiple bloody head wounds.

Scott A. Charles is being held in the Spokane County Jail on a $25,000 bond for a first-degree assault charge, according to jail records.

Spokane police responded to the reported assault at the Phoenix Apartments, 703 E. Hartson Ave., just before 1 p.m. Tuesday, according to court documents.

A neighbor heard the victim, James Pope, yell for help. Pope suffered “significant wounds” to the top of his head, and was taken to Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center, according to court records. He told officers his attacker was another resident, but he did not know his name or why he was attacked with a hammer.

Officers found blood on the wall at the entryway to the victim’s apartment, according to court documents.

Video footage from the apartment building showed Charles entering the victim’s room at about 12:45 p.m. then exiting the building a few minutes later, according to court documents. Charles appeared to have something in his hand while walking outside but no longer had it after he went behind a storage shed.

While searching for the weapon that injured the victim, officers located a 12-inch-long sledge hammer under a tree that was partially up a steep slope, according to court documents.

Pope was listed in serious condition at Sacred Heart Medical Center on Wednesday night.