Washington woman wins five-year protection order against ex-husband

A Washington woman sought a domestic violence protection order after her ex-husband allegedly tracked her spending and even accessed her home’s Alexa device, despite a court-issued no-contact order. The Washington Court of Appeals upheld a five-year protection order, rejecting his challenge, in the ruling issued on Monday, Nov. 9.A night that ended in an arrestThe couple married in 2006. They have one adult son, who was still a minor when the events that led to this case began. In December 2020, the couple argued. The husband became angry, followed his wife up the stairs, pushed her into a room, strangled her and twisted her head, according to court records. When she tried to get their son to call 911, he lifted her off the floor and covered her mouth. Police arrested him. He later pleaded guilty to fourth-degree assault.After the incident, the husband moved out and filed for divorce. In September 2021, a criminal court ordered him to stay away from his wife, her home, her workplace and any place she was. However, he had other plans. He kept contacting her anyway, the records show. A month later, he came to the family home while his wife was out of town. He knew she was away because he had been tracking her credit card purchases.