Charge: Assailant tore out one-eyed Skyway man’s good eye Prosecutors say man blinded in senseless attack

A Skyway man accused of tearing out a one-eyed man’s working eye has been charged with assault.

King County prosecutors in Seattle claim Michael Savage blinded the other man during a senseless attack last month. Savage, 24, is accused of attacking the 49-year-old, who was renting a trailer parked outside a home Savage shared with his partner near Seattle.

Writing the court, Senior Deputy Prosecutor William Doyle claimed Savage used his finger to pry out the older man’s eye. The alleged victim is now permanently blind.

According to charging papers, the man had for five years been renting a travel trailer on the property, located in the 6200 block of South 119th Street. Marginally employed because of various disabilities, the man paid $250 a month to Savage’s partner to live in the camper. He lost his right eye as a child and wore a glass eye.

The man had fallen behind in his rent but had arranged to catch up when, on the morning of April 5, Savage accosted him, a King County Sheriff’s Office detective said in charging papers. Savage tackled him, then grabbed his eye, the detective continued, plucking it out.

Completely blind, the man felt his eye resting against his cheek, the detective said. He was unable to summon help and spent the night maimed on the floor of his trailer.

A coworker found him the following morning and drove him to another home, where a friend called 911. By then, his eye was beyond saving.

Savage, also known as Jay Roman, was arrested later that day.

According to charging papers, he claimed the other man attacked him and that he “popped” his eye out defending himself. Police contend Savage knew the other man’s weakness and exploited it.

“Savage knew that (the victim) was already blind in his right eye and had a glass eye,” the detective said in charging papers. “From the moment of attack, Savage attempted to injure (his) left eye.”

Savage has been jailed since April 24. He has been charged with first-degree assault.

Seattlepi.com reporter Levi Pulkkinen can be reached at 206-448-8348 or levipulkkinen@seattlepi.com. Follow Levi on Twitter at twitter.com/levipulk.