A River Falls man is charged with assaulting his roommate and driving his truck without permission after an argument over a girl turned ugly.

James Douglas Relander, 24, River Falls, posted a $10,000 signature bond Feb. 11 in Pierce County Circuit Court on felony take and drive vehicle without consent (repeater), felony aggravated battery – intend bodily harm (repeater, domestic abuse – infliction of physical pain or injury) and disorderly conduct (repeater, domestic abuse – infliction of physical pain or injury) charges. If convicted, the maximum penalty he faces is six years in prison and/or fines up to $10,000.

According to the complaint:

At 4 a.m. Feb. 9, River Falls officers on a parking complaint call on South Main Street next to Family Fresh (303 S. Main St.) were notified by a driver passing by that they had just witnessed someone getting beat up in a truck and thought they were heading south on Main Street.

Police didn’t locate the truck, but learned later that Pierce County Sheriff’s Office had responded to a welfare check at a County Road FF address, where people gathered told deputies it was a misunderstanding.

However, it wasn’t just a misunderstanding. Later that day at 8:52 p.m., a man called police to report an assault that had occurred around 3:30 a.m. in the Family Fresh parking lot. The complainant told police that he had picked his roommate, Relander, up from Broz Bar where he’d been drinking. Relander brought up an ex-girlfriend, and the complainant admitted he’d slept with the girl but felt bad about it. He said Relander flew into a rage, trapped him in the truck and punched him repeatedly for 15-20 minutes.

The man had cracked teeth, bruised ribs, pain in the back of his head and bleeding behind his ear. He said he tried to apologize to Relander the whole time, but Relander kept beating him. At one point, he tried to get out of the truck to vomit, but Relander pulled him back inside. The man said he’d had a couple shots while at work, but had been drinking water most of the night, while Relander had been drinking beer. The pair live together in Beldenville.

At one point, Relander pulled him out of the driver’s seat and put him in the passenger’s seat. A coworker tried to intervene, but Relander drove the truck away with the man “passed out” in the passenger seat. The truck belonged to the victim’s parents. The man said he believes he lost consciousness a few times during the incident as he can only remember bits and pieces.

Relander brought him to his parents’ home on County Road FF, where other friends showed up. The man said he was on his hands and knees on the ground struggling to breathe because his ribs hurt so badly. His friends tried to help him and calm Relander down. He said someone called 911 at one point, but the police showed up after he’d left.

He and Relander were brought to another friend’s house in River Falls, where the man said Relander threatened to kill him and break his “other jaw” if he did anything with the girl again. Relander eventually left on foot to go get his vehicle at Family Fresh and the man asked someone to bring him back to his parents’ home. At 8 a.m., a friend brought him to the emergency room due to the extreme pain he was in.

He said Relander had tried to contact him by text at 4 p.m., but he didn’t answer. When police spoke to Relander, he said some punches were thrown but that “they’re good now.” He denied threatening to kill him and said he hit him about five times. Witnesses told police they heard Relander threaten the victim.

Pierce County deputies arrested Relander at 10:08 p.m. Feb. 10 for the charges listed above as well as a probation hold. He was transported to Pierce County Jail. His next court appearance is scheduled for 1:45 p.m. March 17.