A Clayton man was arrested at gunpoint during a high-risk traffic stop after allegedly beating his ex-girlfriend and pointing a gun at her head in Elmwood.

Joshua David Swanson, 33, was ordered to pay $500 cash bond Jan. 29 in Pierce County Circuit Court on felony first-degree recklessly endangering safety (domestic abuse - threat, use of a dangerous weapon), felony strangulation and suffocation (domestic abuse), battery (domestic abuse – infliction of physical pain or injury), intentionally point firearm at person (domestic abuse – threat), and disorderly conduct (use of a dangerous weapon, domestic abuse) charges. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 12.5 years on prison and/or fines up to $25,000.

According to the complaint:

Pierce County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded at 11:33 p.m. Jan. 28 to an Elmwood home for a domestic incident involving a firearm. The complainant reported that her ex-boyfriend had pointed a loaded gun at her head, thrown her into a wall and tried to strangle her.

When police arrived, they found a woman bleeding heavily from a cut on her leg with visible red marks on her body. She told officers Swanson had arrived around 9 p.m. unannounced to gather his things as he was moving out (they had broken up the day before). When she heard his truck backing up to the house, she sent her two children upstairs to bed. She said Swanson went into the basement and later came upstairs into the bedroom, where he insulted her and her kids. He then took a Kool-Aid container and threw it at the side of her head (police found the jar under the bed with blood on the lid).

The argument moved downstairs to the basement. She said he hit her with an open hand, so she fought back by hitting him with an open hand. He then grabbed her by the throat and threw her across the room into a nearby toolbox. She got up again to fight back and was thrown into a different toolbox. She said he then grabbed a nearby loaded long gun with a brown stock and black barrel, cocked it and held it to her head. She looked down the barrel and instinctively held her hand up to protect her face before calling 911.

During the interview, officers observed a visible blood trail on the floor, along with several items strewn about the house. They followed the blood trail downstairs into the basement and continued to follow it along with strewn items to the work bench located in the far corner of the basement.

The complainant located the firearm downstairs in the basement propped up next to a TV. Deputies removed the loaded magazine and a live round in the chamber. The gun’s safety was also off.

Swanson had left the house shortly after the complainant called 911 and fled the scene in a grey 2002 GMC Sierra pickup truck. He too called 911 and told them he wouldn’t wait for police and wouldn’t pull over; he was planning to crash somewhere in town or head north. Wisconsin State Patrol located Swanson traveling northbound on Highway 128 near County Road N in St. Croix County. WSP pulled Swanson over and held him at gunpoint near Exit 28 onto I-94 while other agencies responded. Swanson was not cooperative with police orders and was on the phone with his mother.

During the traffic stop, police smelled alcohol when talking to Swanson. He had red, bloodshot, glossy eyes and admitted to drinking two Fireball shots about 15 minutes prior to the traffic stop. Swanson’s version of the story was that he had gone to his mother’s house earlier in the day, then went to his ex-girlfriend’s house to retrieve his belongings. He said she slapped him three times in the face (he didn’t have any redness or bruising on the face) during a screaming match, so he got mad and threw a Kool-Aid jar.

Swanson said he had brought his gun, a 10-22 Ruger, into the house yesterday but denied pointing it at anybody. After field sobriety tests and a PBT of .074, police arrested him for domestic-related charges and transported him to Pierce County Jail without incident.

Swanson’s next court appearance is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Feb. 25.