A 41-year-old Pittsboro man is behind bars after deputies say a domestic dispute inside a home on the 700 block of Cedar Grove Road turned violent Wednesday, leaving the family dog dead and his wife and 4-year-old son injured. Investigators say the alleged assault started inside the house and only stopped when law enforcement arrived.
Chatham County deputies arrested Michael Levandoski Jr., 41, and took him to the county jail, according to The News & Observer. Arrest warrants and a news release reviewed by that outlet allege Levandoski pinned his wife to the floor, put his hands around her neck and tried to strangle her before turning on their child and firing shots inside the home.
What Deputies Say They Found Inside
Deputies say they were called to the house after a 911 report that the husband had assaulted his wife and tried to kill her. Inside, investigators reported finding multiple spent shell casings and a Smith & Wesson revolver. They also discovered the family's dog, identified as Nutter Butter, dead from multiple gunshot wounds. Court papers also note Levandoski's training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, which investigators described in the warrants as a deadly weapon.
Charges, Custody Status And Court Timeline
Levandoski faces a slate of felony counts, including two counts of assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury, second-degree kidnapping, felony cruelty to animals, discharging a weapon into an occupied dwelling, two counts of assault by strangulation and a negligent child abuse charge, as outlined by The News & Observer. He is being held without bail in the Chatham County Jail and could appear Aug. 3 in Chatham County District Court, officials said.
Deputies said Levandoski was taken to UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill for a mental-health evaluation. His wife and son were transported to a hospital for medical checks. Authorities have not released any update on their conditions beyond saying they were taken for evaluation.
The arrest warrants outline a series of alleged attacks that remain unproven until tested in court, and Levandoski is presumed innocent unless and until he is convicted. If he is ultimately found guilty on the listed felony counts, the charges carry significant penalties under state law, and the case is expected to continue through the local criminal-court process in the coming weeks.
Investigators have not released any suspected motive. The Chatham County Sheriff's Office is asking anyone with information about the incident to contact the agency. This story will be updated as new court filings and official releases shed more light on what happened inside that Cedar Grove Road home.
