After years of alleged domestic violence, man arrested on suspicion of brutal assault on his wife

After allegedly beating his wife so badly that she suffered partial hearing loss, a Nine Mile Falls man continued to threaten his family until last week, when she reported the incidents, court documents say.

While she was speaking with police about the latest alleged assault, her husband, Douglas Eggleston, 35, arrived at his wife’s office knocking on her door, shortly after texting her that he was going to kill her, according to court documents.

Eggleston was arrested Wednesday and charged with second-degree assault and harassment. As of Thursday afternoon, he was held in the Spokane County Jail on a $25,000 bond.

There’s an extensive history of domestic violence incidents involving Eggleston, some of which weren’t reported when they happened, according to court records. In February 2020, a Florida judge granted a final risk protection order against Eggleston stemming from an incident where Eggleston held a gun to his head and made suicidal statements, documents say. He was prohibited from having access to firearms until February of this year.

Eggleston’s wife reported he had tried to strangle her numerous times related to 15 separate domestic violence incidents, according to court documents. Eggleston also allegedly uses anabolic steroids, cocaine and alcohol, according to court documents.

On April 20 at about 8 p.m., Eggleston argued with his wife at a bar and called her explicit names in front of patrons, according to court records. She left the bar and drove home by herself, pulling over near North Shoemaker Lane and Nine Mile Falls Road to calm down, according to court records. That’s when Eggleston found her, pulled open her car door and punched her at least three times in the side of the head before pulling her from the car by her hair, according to court records.

He allegedly attempted to strangle her and headbutted her twice, according to court records. He eventually dropped the stranglehold, causing her to fall to the ground, where he allegedly began kicking her in the stomach and legs while wearing his work boots. The couple owns a construction business.

She then attempted to reach into the backseat of her car for her handgun, but Eggleston wrestled the gun out of her hands and accused her of trying to kill herself, she told police in court records.

He then allegedly threw her into the front seat of his truck and drove away. On the drive, she said he bashed her head into the dash multiple times, according to court records.

The next day, she documented her injuries, taking multiple photos, according to court records. She went to a specialist to have her ear evaluated and the doctor said she had a ruptured eardrum and suffered hearing loss, according to court records. She didn’t report the incident at the time.

A witness who asked to remain anonymous told police she saw the woman’s injuries the day after the assault, according to court records.

On Tuesday, Eggleston began threatening his wife while the couple were at their Nine Mile Falls home with their two children. He allegedly threatened to burn the house down, according to court records.

Then on Wednesday morning, he continued threatening her, asking her what she did with her gun, that he’d “been looking for it for quite a while” and “Guess I’ll take a different route,” according to court records.

Just a few hours later, he texted her saying he was going to kill her, according to court records.

That’s when she called police, who responded to her office at a local hospital. While police were interviewing her, Eggleston tried to open the door then began knocking, shortly after texting her he was going to kill her, according to court records. The officer arrested Eggleston and confiscated his cell phone, according to court records.

During an interview with police, Eggleston said he “could’ve” strangled his wife to prevent her from killing herself, according to court records. He also said “it could have occurred,” when asked if he hit her, the documents say.

Eggleston has no prior criminal record, according to court documents. However, a protection order was granted by a judge to prevent him from possessing weapons or contacting his wife and their children.

His arraignment is set for June 8.