A 45-year-old Oak Harbor man is accused of threatening a woman with a knife and punching her, court documents state.

Shane Leach pleaded not guilty in Island County Superior Court May 20 to assault in the second degree.

Deputies with the Island County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of an assault at a North Whidbey residence May 17. A 31-year-old woman reported that Leach had assaulted her while she was talking to him in a garage, the report states. She said Leach got mad at her because she had a boyfriend. She claimed he waved a utility knife at her, the report states.

According to the police report, Leach eventually slammed the knife down, but then he approached her while he was hiding something in his hand. She said he punched her in the chest several times, grabbed her from behind and put her in a choke hold, court documents state.

The alleged victim said Leach held something cold and metallic to her head and told her it was a Tek-9, which is a handgun, the report states. The woman said she never saw what the object was. She claimed he also threatened to cut her neck with a knife, court documents show.

The woman told the investigator that Leach loosened his grip and she was able to run away.

According to the deputy’s report, the deputies went to find Leach, but he ran from the house and hid in a wooded area. They eventually found him lying on the ground in the woods.

Leach told the deputies that the woman had pulled the knife on him and that he pretended that a flashlight was a gun in order to get her to drop the knife, court document indicate.