Sandi Romine

Tom Romine

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A 71-year-old Powell woman is alleged to have stabbed her husband’s hand with a steak knife earlier this month.

Sandi V. Romine is facing a felony charge of aggravated assault and a misdemeanor count of domestic battery in connection with the Feb. 5 incident.

Meanwhile, Romine’s husband was himself arrested on Feb. 12, after he allegedly drove drunk to the Park County Detention Center while attempting to bail his wife out.

Both are now out on bail pending further proceedings.

Charging documents say the case began around 10:30 a.m. on Feb. 5, when Romine called Powell Valley Healthcare and reported that she had stabbed her husband; officials at PVHC then called Powell police.

When police arrived at Romine’s Avenue H home a few minutes later, Romine reportedly shut the door on the officers; they forced it open to find Romine standing in the entryway to the kitchen, unarmed.

Officer Sean Alquist aimed his gun at Romine and told her to get on the ground, but she did not follow his repeated orders, charging documents say. Romine “told Officer Alquist to shoot her and then attempted to shut the door on [him],” Powell Police Investigator Chris Wallace wrote in an affidavit filed in support of the case. Officers ultimately detained and arrested her.

Meanwhile, police found her husband, 69-year-old Tom Romine, bleeding from a wound to his left hand. EMTs from Powell Valley Healthcare bandaged the wound and then cleared the scene.

The man told officers that Sandi Romine “went into a rage” when he tried getting on the opposite side of a couch where she was sleeping, the affidavit says. By the man’s account, Sandi Romine grabbed a knife from the kitchen, said “she hated him and was going to kill him” and stabbed his hand while it was resting on his thigh, the affidavit says. Sandi Romine then “started crying and said she loved him,” Wallace recounted in his report. The man said the attack was unprovoked and that he was concerned about his wife, the affidavit says.

In an interview in jail later that day, Sandi Romine claimed the stabbing had been an accident, and that she hadn’t wanted to hurt her husband.

“I don’t even know why I did it,” she reportedly told Investigator Wallace, saying she had been mad at her husband, but didn’t remember the reason; she also reported the incident had happened in the kitchen and not on the couch.

Both parties had been drinking.

Sandi Romine’s bond was initially set at $5,000 cash or surety and on Feb. 12, Tom Romine attempted to post it.

However, when the Powell resident arrived at the Park County Detention Center in Cody around 11 a.m., staffers thought he appeared intoxicated.

Tom Romine claimed that he had gotten a ride from a friend. However, as Cody police watched, Tom Romine got into his vehicle, exited the parking lot and immediately weaved into the wrong lane; Officer Blake Stinson pulled him over and smelled alcohol. Tom Romine then allegedly failed sobriety tests and was arrested; at that point, a portable breath test pegged his blood alcohol content at around 0.216% — well over the 0.08% level where a person is considered too impaired to drive. Tom Romine has been charged with driving while under the influence of alcohol for a second time in 10 years (the prior conviction in 2018), driving with a suspended license and no valid auto insurance. Not guilty pleas were entered on Tom Romine’s behalf last week, and he was released from jail Tuesday after posting a $2,000 cash bond. A trial is set for April 16.

Meanwhile, Sandi Romine was released on her own recognizance just hours after her husband was taken into custody on Feb. 12.

Deputy Park County Prosecuting Attorney Jack Hatfield said the 71-year-old had been having balance problems in jail and there was fear she might suffer an injury.

“... I don’t want to see anyone get hurt (especially elderly people) and I believed the risk was worth giving her a chance,” Hatfield said in a Friday email, adding that he agreed to Sandi Romine’s release “as long as she goes home and stays out of trouble until the charges are dealt with.”

She’s due back in Park County Circuit Court on March 27 for a preliminary hearing, where a judge will determine if there’s enough evidence for her case to proceed toward a trial in District Court.

While out on bond, the Romines must obey the law, stay in Park County and not drink alcohol, among other conditions; Tom Romine is also prohibited from driving “for any reason.”