Man accused of assaulting woman says he was trying to cuddle with her

POCATELLO — A man has been released on his own recognizance after being arrested for allegedly attacking a woman last week.

Paul Flatland, 29, was taken into custody Friday and booked into the Bannock County Jail after the woman told police he sexually assaulted her the day before.

In a probable cause affidavit obtained by EastIdahoNews.com, the victim said she and Flatland were involved in a physical disturbance. She said he held her down, tried removing her clothes and sexually assaulted her while she tried to fight back. Flatland had fled the home by the time police arrived.

The woman showed investigators photos of bruising from another domestic attack on Dec. 9 when she says Flatland picked her up and pushed her against a wall, according to court documents.

Police later spoke with Flatland and he said he tried cuddling with the woman when they fell to the floor. He denied the physical altercation went any further.

Police wrote in the probable cause document that the woman’s injuries are consistent with her side of the story.

Police arrested Flatland on a misdemeanor warrant for domestic battery in the presence of a child. At his arraignment Friday, Magistrate Judge Paul Laggis released Flatland on his own recognizance.

Flatland made headlines in 2016 when his 1-year-old daughter drowned in the bathtub while his ex-wife, Kelsee Flatland, was on her phone. She pleaded guilty to felony injury to a child and spent time in jail. Police said Paul Flatland had no knowledge the infant was in the bathtub while he was downstairs playing video games.

Paul Flatland later told EastIdahoNews.com he was not playing video games but was working in the garage. Prosecutors did not charge him in connection to the infant’s death.

A pre-trial conference for the misdemeanor domestic battery is scheduled for Jan. 8, 2020 at the Bannock County Courthouse.