A Puyallup man pleaded not guilty Tuesday, July 29 at the Norm Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent to a charge of second-degree assault for what prosecutors allege was his attack on another golfer at the Auburn Golf Course July 13.

Nicolas Jay Shampine, 33, is out on $50,000 bail but will return to court at 1 p.m., Aug. 12 for a pre-trial hearing.

The charge stems from a disagreement between two parties of golfers at the course that turned bloody when Shampine allegedly struck 45-year-old James Compton of Puyallup on the head with a 6 iron.

The blow left Compton bleeding profusely and required his airlift to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle for emergency surgery after he had sustained a bruised brain, a skull fracture and a broken cheekbone Auburn police arrested Shampine at the course without incident.

If convicted as charged, Shampine faces a sentence range of 15 to 21 months in prison. He has no previous criminal convictions.

According to the report Auburn police filed with court papers, at about 3 p.m. members of Compton’s party complained to the course marshal that Shampine’s party just ahead of them was moving too slowly. The complaint angered Shampine’s brother, Greg, who allegedly turned around and began yelling at Compton’s party for being too loud and threatened to “kick their ass” if they didn’t shut up.

According to the police report, the parties began to jaw at each other, provoking a shoving match between Compton and Greg Shampine, with two of Compton’s party surrounding Greg Shampine during the shoving. To protect his brother, Nicholas Shampine later told police, he charged Compton at this point with his golf club and swung it at him, hitting him above the eyes with great force and knocking him down. Members of Compton’s party told police that even as Compton lay on the ground, Shampine threatened to kill all of them and their families if they messed with him.

Officers found Compton sitting on the 14th green, bleeding profusely from the head and vomiting as a friend applied direct pressure with a blood-soaked bandage. Officers observed that the lower third of the club’s shaft was bent, indicating the force that had gone into the blow.

According to the court records, Nicholas allegedly told police, “You are probably going to arrest me. I’m the one that hit him with the club. I don’t have any weapons on me.”

Nicholas Shampine also told police his group had been waiting for the party in front of them.