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Suspect who prompted AMBER Alert has history of domestic violence, docs say

The estranged wife of Justin Robertson filed two domestic violence and protection orders against him. Robertson is accused of stabbing his wife and abducting his child on Tuesday.

UPDATE: The AMBER Alert was canceled and the 5-year-old boy has been released safely and is uninjured. 

Read the latest updates here. 

SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. — The estranged wife of Justin Robertson filed two domestic violence and protection orders against Robertson, according to court documents. 

Robertson is accused of stabbing his wife and prompting a now-canceled AMBER Alert after abducting their 5-year-old son on Tuesday morning, 

On Dec. 4, 2018, Robertson’s wife filed a protection order in Spokane County Superior Court due to worries of “possible physical harm, injury or death” to herself or her child, according to court documents.

According to court documents, Robertson’s wife received an anonymous text message on Dec. 3, 2018, that said he placed a tracking device in her vehicle.

 About a month before, Robertson’s wife said he swerved the car into oncoming semi-trucks three times and asked, “Are you ready?,” according to court documents.

In December, she told police that Robertson did not use guns or other weapons to threaten her, but he said he had a gun in their house, according to court documents.

Then in March 2019, Robertson’s wife filed for another protection order because she was facing “physical, mental and emotional abuse, and possibly death,” according to court documents.

Robertson’s wife said he was suicidal and was threatening to harm the two of them if she did not comply with his demands on March 11, according to court documents. She said he slammed the patio door so hard that paint chips broke away from the door frame and was screaming while hitting the house.

Robertson’s wife said he yelled at their 5-year-old son Ethan Robertson, who is the subject of Tuesday's AMBER Alert that has since been canceled, many times throughout the evening, according to court documents.

According to court documents, Robertson told his wife that “he should’ve driven us in the car in front of an oncoming semi truck,” which he attempted in November 2018. 

Robertson’s wife also said she saw him drive around her work parking lot on March 12, according to court documents. She said she had seen Robertson drive by her workplace before this instance.

“He continues to stalk me, follow me and track me through various methods, including hacking into accounts and electronic devices,” Robertson’s wife wrote when filing for the protection order.

She added that Robertson had threatened her with both a car and knife in the past.

Robertson’s wife also submitted a parenting plan in Spokane County Superior Court on March 14. She suggested that Robertson should have no contact with his child, according to court documents.

According to the parenting plan, Robertson would need to be evaluated for a mental health disorder and continue all treatments in order to have contact with his son.

Robertson’s wife also filed for divorce on March 14, according to court documents.

AMBER Alert canceled for Robertson's 5-year-old son 

Washington State Patrol has canceled an AMBER Alert in Washington, Oregon and Idaho for a 5-year-old boy who authorities say was abducted after a stabbing in Spokane Valley on Tuesday morning. 

RELATED: AMBER Alert issued for 5-year-old boy abducted after Spokane Valley stabbing

Spokane County Sheriff's deputies responded to a panic alarm at the home located at 12808 E. Blossey Avenue at about 5 a.m. on Tuesday. 

When deputies arrived, they found the side gate wide open. They then knocked on the front door and heard a woman screaming for help, according to the sheriff's office.

Upon entering the home, deputies found the woman bleeding profusely from stab wounds, according to the sheriff's office. She told deputies she had recently served Robertson with divorce papers, and that he had stabbed her and fled with their 5-year-old son Ethan Robertson.

Robertson's estranged wife was taken to Sacred Heart with injuries that are serious but not life threatening, according to the sheriff's office.  

Credit: Spokane County Sheriff's Office

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