Centralia man pleads not guilty in Rainier assault

A 37-year-old Centralia man accused of choking and beating another man May 30 pleaded not guilty to second-degree assault and felony harassment Tuesday in Thurston County Superior Court.

Mike J. Poulton was arrested by Thurston County Sheriff’s deputies following the incident, then later released from the Thurston County Jail on $2,500 bail.

Court documents give the following account:

A deputy responded to a mobile home near Rainier after a witness reported that two men were fighting. One of the men, the resident of the home, was covered in cuts and bruises.

The resident told the deputy that he had been sleeping when the suspect banged on his door and ordered him to leave the property. The resident said that he was being evicted, but he wasn’t required to leave the home until June 8.

The resident said the suspect choked him several times, causing him to lose consciousness. He said the suspect also slammed him onto the ground.

The man’s girlfriend and children witnessed the altercation.

The deputy arrested the suspect, who was identified as Poulton. Poulton smelled of alcohol and told the deputy that he had been drinking.

Judge Anne Hirsch has set Poulton’s trial for the week of Aug. 24.

This story was originally published June 9, 2015 at 9:47 PM with the headline "Centralia man pleads not guilty in Rainier assault."