A man registered as a sex offender in Twin Falls County pleaded guilty in Blaine County on Monday to felony aggravated assault for threatening his girlfriend with a hammer.
"I threatened her verbally and said I'm going to ... kill you," Timothy Ray Votroubek said at a change of plea hearing in Blaine County 5th District Court.
Votroubek, 30, also pleaded guilty to misdemeanor battery from an altercation between the woman and him on July 13 at a campground near the Sawtooth National Recreation Area visitor's center north of Ketchum.
The guilty pleas were in accord with a plea agreement between Votroubek and the Blaine County Prosecuting Attorney's Office, which agreed to dismiss a felony charge of attempted strangulation and sentence enhancement of being a "persistent violator," a charge that is punishable in Idaho by up to life in prison.
According to Idaho court records, Votroubek qualifies for the so-called "three-strikes-and-you're-out" sentence enhancement charge because of two prior felony convictions in Gooding County, one for grand theft in 1998 and the other for rape in 2000.
The rape conviction qualified Votroubek for lifetime listing as registered sex offender. According to the sex offender registry, he lived in Buhl prior to his latest arrest.
Votroubek also has two DUI charges pending against him in Twin Falls County. According to court records, both are felonies. One resulted from an arrest on Aug. 6 and the other from an arrest on Aug. 18.
Votroubek admitted at Monday's court hearing to being a "pretty hardcore alcoholic."
He told Judge Robert J. Elgee that alcohol was a primary factor in the fight with his girlfriend that led to the Blaine County charges. He said the woman became upset because he was drinking vodka and "dumped out the bottle of alcohol."
The altercation then became physical, Votroubek said.
"It was a disagreement—we pushed and pulled each other, we struggled," he said. "She hit me, I'm sure I hit her. I remember pulling her hair, but I didn't mean to. I used a hammer during the disagreement to threaten her."
Votroubek said he and the woman apologized to each other later that day. He took her to her parents' home in Twin Falls the following day and they notified police of the woman's injuries.
He said that when he went to the parents' home later, "her mother freaked out and told me to get off the property."
According to Blaine County court records, felony charges were filed against Votroubek on July 17 and he was arrested on July 23. Votroubek was later released on $10,000 bond but was re-arrested on Sept. 9 after he failed to appear for a preliminary hearing on Sept. 8
He remains incarcerated now on $25,000 bond. Sentencing is set for March 8.
Terry Smith: tsmith@mtexpress.com
Timothy Ray Votroubek
