SPOKANE-- A former WSU student left to die on the side of the road was apparently assaulted earlier this year by her boyfriend.
Kristen Grindley, 23, was found last week on Pullman-Albion Road and remains hospitalized in Spokane. Authorities think she either fell or was thrown from a vehicle.
Her boyfriend, Richard Pasma, was questioned by detectives, but has not been named as a suspect.
Court documents show the couple had trouble in the past. But although Grindley was the alleged victim, she wasn’t the one who filed the police report on April 25th.
The report says an officer with the WSU Police Department reported he heard two people yelling as they walked up the stairs to the Central Store parking lot. Those two people were later identified as Grindley and Pasma.
At the top of the stairs, the officer says he “saw Pasma strike Grindley with a fully extended right arm and open had across her face.” Although he was 20 feet away, the officer “heard the sound of his hand hitting her face.” Pasma was immediately arrested for fourth degree assault. But Grindley told police “she slapped him only moments before.” Pasma was later questioned and said “he’d never slapped a girl before in his life.” He admitted Grindley hit him so he hit her back. Despite the confrontation, Pasma said the couple, who’s been together for months, was planning on moving in together.
Whitman County Sheriff's deputies have searched the couple’s home and Pasma’s truck. They’re waiting for Grindley's condition to improve so they can also question her.
As for the assault charge, KREM 2 News spoke with the prosecutor on Tuesday. He says Grindley came in the next day and asked all charges to be dropped, which is what happened.
