DRYDEN, N.Y. — An Ithaca man was indicted in Tompkins County Court on Thursday morning for allegedly burglarizing the home of his wife, who has an order of protection against him.
Alexandre Pougatchev, 59, was arrested March 1 after he allegedly entered his wife’s home in Dryden unlawfully. His wife, Irina Pougatcheva, said she was sleeping around 6 a.m. when she let her dogs out after they began barking. When the barking had not subsided, she asked her housemate and tenant, Ruslan Koruniak, to check on the dogs.
Koruniak said he went to turn on the lights in the house when he saw a man standing in the living room. Koruniak said he noticed the man standing approximately 6 feet away from him with a handgun pointed at his head.
Koruniak said he recognized the man as Pougatchev, his housemate’s husband. Pougatchev allegedly pulled the trigger of the handgun three times, which Koruniak said he heard click.
Pougatcheva said she heard a commotion from her bedroom, and heard Koruniak say, “be careful, he has a gun.” She said she entered the living room and saw her husband, assuming he had entered the house through the rear sliding glass door.
Pougatcheva said she had a previous order of protection against Pougatchev, and he was not allowed into the house. Upon realizing the intruder was her husband, she went to find her phone to call 911.
Koruniak said Pougatchev then hit him in the face with the handgun, and a fight between the two men ensued. Pougatcheva returned to the living room to find the two fighting, and then called 911. Koruniak was able to hold Pougatchev’s arm and pin him until police arrived.
Koruniak said this was the fourth time an incident similar to this one has happened but was the first time a weapon had been involved. Court documents state the handgun was later proven to be an imitation pistol.
Pougatchev has been charged with first-degree burglary, two counts of second-degree burglary, criminal possession of a weapon, and first-degree criminal contempt, He is currently in custody at Tompkins County Jail without bail.
