Troy man accused of attacking wife may argue self defense

A Troy man accused of attacking his wife and spraying her with a fire extinguisher this summer was back in court last week.

Joshua Michael Glaese, 39, pleaded not guilty on Aug. 29 to one felony count of assault with a weapon and one misdemeanor count of partner or family member assault, first offense, in Lincoln County District Court.

Glaese was in court with his attorney, Sean Hinchey for a hearing to determine the length of a potential trial and also to request permission to leave Montana from Nov. 2 to Nov. 11.

District Judge Matt Cuffe granted Glaese’s request, but also had a few words for the defendant.

“Don’t contact me, you have an attorney, have him contact me,” Cuffe said.

Cuffe’s statement was in response to a letter Glaese wrote to the judge on Oct. 12. In part, Glaese said he was homeless, that he never harmed the alleged victim and that, “the truth will come out in court.”

Court documents indicate Glaese will argue justifiable use of force if his case goes to trial.

Glaese, who posted $100,000 bail on Aug. 22, recently faced a petition to revoke his release. Glaese was accused of leaving the state without permission and for going to his former residence on Oct. 8, which could have been a violation of the order of protection Cuffe issued on Sept. 19.

According to court documents, Glaese said he went to Florida to live with his sister while he worked on a plan to live in Libby. He also believed his wife had left the home and when law enforcement told him to leave, he did.

Ultimately, Cuffe dismissed the petition to revoke his release on bond.

Part of Glaese’s terms of release include not possessing any weapons, not using or possessing illegal drugs or alcohol. Glaese is also not allowed to have any contact with the alleged victim.

According to the charging documents, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office Captain Boyd White met with the alleged victim on the afternoon of Aug. 15 at the sheriff’s office. The woman said her relationship with Glaese has been very rough. She said Glaese is an alcoholic, he is violent when he drinks, but he drinks every day.

She said the previous day, Aug. 14, was Glaese’s birthday. She said everything was fine until he returned home from drinking at Yaak bars with a man named Clayton. She said Clayton lives in their house, but she didn’t know his last name.

The woman also explained that the residence consists of an unfinished house and a camper trailer. She said she stayed in the camper with her young daughter. She also said during their 10-year relationship, he has been emotionally abusive, according to court documents.

She said when he returned to the property at 2 a.m. on Aug. 15, he entered the camper, turned on the lights and began yelling at her. She said she went outside, put on a submissive front in an effort to deescalate Glaese and get him away from their daughter. She said after they argued, he allegedly stomped on her foot and hit her in the back of the head.

The woman said she ran to the camper and fought with Glaese to get the door closed while he allegedly tried to grab her and drag her out. She said she considered calling 911 but decided it would be safer to not call and work to deescalate the situation after he allegedly made a comment to the affect of “Find out what happens if you call the police.”

She also said Glaese has begun to threaten to shoot her on a weekly basis. During the incident, she said heard him outside say something like “Come outside and see what I got for you,” and then she heard a gunshot. She said she heard two more gunshots over the next five minutes. She also said recorded portions of the incident. The alleged victim also told White that Glaese has repeatedly threatened to kill her.

She described his gun as a “Cowboy 6 shooter” and that he had accidentally shot himself awhile back and she believed it was the same gun.

She also said Glaese recently sprayed her with a fire extinguisher when she tried to enter the house. She also said a few days after that incident, she was sitting on a couch in the house when he turned it over. When the couch landed on the extinguisher it sprayed the rest of the chemical inside the residence.

The alleged victim also told White that a few years ago he allegedly unloaded the gun in front of her, pointed it at her and pulled the trigger multiple times.

White wrote in his report that the woman was emotional and cried at times while describing the events from the morning of Aug. 15. She said she was in fear for her life and the life of her child.

His wife filed on Aug. 16 for a temporary order of protection and it was granted on the same day by District Judge Matt Cuffe.

In her application for the protection order, she wrote that Glaese broke broom handles on two different occasions and one, chased her with it. She also reported filing for bankruptcy because he allegedly misused her credit card. Further, she wrote that he had a conviction for marijuana possession in Texas and a DUI conviction in Ventura, California.

The maximum sentence for assault with a weapon is 20 years in the Montana State Prison. For partner or family member assault, it is one year in the Lincoln County Detention Center.