Casper Man Allegedly Assaulted Girlfriend With Wine Bottle

A Casper man has been arrested on several charges after he broke a wine bottle over his girlfriend's head two weeks ago, according to court records.

Daniel Harley Burgess, 35, is charged with aggravated assault, aggravated assault and battery, a third count of domestic battery within 10 years (a felony), and misdemeanor property destruction, according to a Casper Police affidavit.

Burgess heard the charges against him during his initial appearance before Natrona County Circuit Court Judge Brian Christensen on Friday.

If convicted on all counts, he faces up to 25 years of imprisonment.

Christensen set his bond at $75,000. Burgess will have a preliminary hearing within a few weeks to determine whether his case should be bound over for trial.

The case began on Dec. 20 when the victim went to the police department to report a FVPA order against Burgess.

An officer saw the victim had bruised eyes, a small cut in the middle of her forehead, a welt on the back of her head and two lightly bruised areas on her right arm.

She said she and Burgess went out on Dec. 15, arrived at his residence on North Durbin Street about 9 p.m., and that Burgess had behaved well. But she noticed his demeanor began to change and she wanted to leave.

She had two glasses of wine that night, and he had been drinking, too.

When she reached the door, she was struck on the back of her head by a blunt object and blacked out.

When she regained consciousness, Burgess was dragging her from the doorway into the residence, and saw pieces of a wine bottle were strewn on the floor. Burgess told her that he didn't want her to leave.

She stood and ran to her truck. Burgess caught up with her and got in the passenger seat. He smashed a window, and broke off the rear view mirror and beat her in the face with it. She quickly drove away, which forced Burgess from the vehicle.

The woman photographed her injuries, and called her mother and cousin. She did not seek medical treatment.

She showed the photos to the officer who saw significant bleeding on her face. She also gave him the mirror.

The victim also showed text messages between her and Burgess after the incident. He wrote, "I know I have issues. No more drinking for me," and "I do love you more than anything I have ever felt."

An officer later interviewed Burgess's housemate, who said he arrived at the residence about 3 a.m. the next day and saw the glass on the floor. Burgess told him the victim punched him and he punched her back, that they had a volatile relationship, and called her "'crazy.'"

An officer researched Burgess's criminal record and found four previous protection violations, convictions for interference with police officers, driving under the influence, and unlawful possession of controlled substances. The officer also found pending court cases for domestic battery and FVPA violations.

By the time of the interview with the victim, Burgess had checked himself into a place for treatment. An arrest warrant was issued for him.

After Burgess was released Thursday, he was taken to the county jail.

An officer began to interview him. Burgess said he wouldn't say anything without his lawyer present, which ended the interview.