The Seattle Times is reporting a story from earlier this month in which a man was arrested for allegedly breaking in to his ex-girlfriend's Seattle home and assaulting her. The victim called 911 and told the operator that a man had broken into her house through the bathroom window and that it may be her ex-boyfriend with whom she has a domestic violence no-contact order against. The 911 operator then heard yelling before the phone line was cut. When police arrived to the woman's home, she informed them that the intruder had fled to the basement where police found him and arrested him. The article also reported that:

The victim told police her ex-boyfriend had grabbed her and forced her out of her bedroom and into the living room while she was on the line with the 911 operator.  He also grabbed the phone from her hand and disconnected the 911 call before throwing the phone to the floor, she told police.

This case is interesting, not so much for the facts of the case, but to look at all the possible charges that the suspect may face. First, because he broke into his ex-girlfriend's home, he may be charged with burglary. Burglary does not require a suspect to have stolen anything. Just the act of breaking into a home with intent can be considered burglary. Next, he took the phone from his ex-girlfriend's hand and hung up on the 911 dispatcher. This could lead to a charge for interfering with reporting. He also may be charged with assault for allegedly forcing the woman and grabbing her forcefully. In addition, there was a no-contact order against him which he violated. Then, of course, there are domestic violence charges because the incident occurred between these two people who once had a dating relationship. Finally, the article stated that he had several outstanding warrants against him so he will face charges of those as well.

The Seattle Time article ending by stating that the suspect was taken to King County Jail for investigation of burglary and domestic violence as well as charges for the outstanding warrants. If he is lucky, these ill be the only charges he will face but it is important to understand that many crimes can be committed during just one incident.