Suspicious that girlfriend was cheating, Bethel Island man allegedly put a pistol next to her head and fired

BETHEL ISLAND — A local resident has been charged with dragging his girlfriend into his motor home, putting a gun to her head, then firing shots to the side of her face in a jealous rage, according to court records.

The suspect, a 61-year-old Bethel Island man, was arrested and charged on Aug. 20 with assault with a deadly weapon, false imprisonment and burglary, related to two similar incidents on Aug. 8 and Aug. 10. He was initially charged with kidnapping but a judge struck that count at a Sept. 4 preliminary hearing, while upholding the remaining charges, records show.

It all started on Aug. 8, when the suspect told his girlfriend to go check on the status of a vehicle that was being repaired by a mechanic who lived a short distance from their home. The woman did as she was asked, but the suspect quickly grew concerned she was cheating on him with the mechanic, police say.

The man allegedly went to the mechanic’s home and dragged the woman back to his motor home, sat her in a chair and fired the gun four times next to her ear, causing temporary hearing loss, police say. Two days later, the suspect allegedly accosted the woman while she was asleep in the mechanic’s bedroom, illegally entered the home and fought with the man until a good Samaritan happened by and broke up the fight.

The man is being held in the Contra Costa jail system without bail, records show. He is set to be arraigned on Sept. 20.