A Salem woman was arraigned Wednesday in Norwich Superior Court on charges that she physically abused and sexually mutilated her husband last month, some of which was recorded on a video camera.

Jillian Washburn, 33, was extradited Tuesday from Queens, N.Y., to face charges of cruelty to persons, second-degree assault, first-degree sexual assault, unlawful restraint and risk of injury to a minor.

Judge John M. Newson said the warrant in the case was one "of the most disturbing things I ever read" and set her bond at $350,000. 

Washburn appeared briefly in court wearing prison-issued clothes. Her hair was pulled back into a braided ponytail and she smiled at a woman who was sitting in the gallery. 

Washburn's attorney, Donald Beebe, said the alleged victim has a history of being abusive to Washburn and has a history of cutting himself. He also said part of what happened to the victim was "staged."

"There's a whole other side of the story, which is our defense," Beebe said. 

According to the arrest warrant, an officer in New York City notified state police at Troop K in Colchester of an assault that occurred Nov. 26 in Salem. The alleged victim was being treated for his injuries at New York Presbyterian Hospital.

In interviews at Troop K Nov. 26 and Dec. 3, the alleged victim said the physical abuse started around 2008, with Washburn at first slapping him and then escalating to hitting him with objects and her fists, the warrant said.

The alleged victim told police the abuse started around the time he became addicted to video games. He said Washburn started to hit him because she didn't want him to play games all the time.

"The victim stated that he did not report anything in the past because he felt like he could just deal with it and that things would get better," the warrant said.

But, the man said, the violence escalated.

On Nov. 26, the day of the assault, he said, Washburn struck him in the face multiple times, causing his mouth to bleed. He said Washburn also struck him with a plastic lint roller with metal parts.

He said she cut the tip of his penis and stabbed him in the stomach with a pair of scissors, the warrant said.

He told police that Washburn had him drive her and their two children to her mother's house in New York. Once they arrived in New York, he said, Washburn took his wallet and cellphone.

He said he immediately left the house and went to the hospital for an evaluation of his injuries.

He told police he did not think the children saw the assault, but they have seen their mother hit him in the past.

On Nov. 28 police called the victim's cellphone and made contact with Washburn. Police said they needed to speak to her in person in Connecticut to get a statement from her, but Washburn asked if she could give a statement on the phone instead.

When police called Washburn a second time, a woman who identified herself as Washburn's mother said Washburn was not able to come to the phone and "was not going to return to Connecticut so that she could get arrested," the warrant said.

On Dec. 3, when police again spoke to the alleged victim at Troop K, he brought with him a laptop computer and an external hard drive.

The man said in the Nov. 26 attack, Washburn also assaulted him with a wire clothes hanger. Portions of the attack were recorded on a GoPro video camera, which he said Washburn had him wear because she did not trust him, the warrant said.

Police said they viewed 10 video clips, which showed Washburn striking the victim and assaulting him with the hanger.

"The victim remembered that J.Washburn had told him more than one time that she might kill him and the victim believes she is capable of killing him," the warrant said. "The victim said he lives in fear of her beating him on a daily basis." 

At Wednesday's arraignment proceeding, a bail commissioner told the judge that Jillian Washburn has no criminal history and recommended that the court issue a protective order. She said Washburn's bond should remain at $250,000.

But Assistant State's Attorney Thomas Griffin argued for a higher bond, noting the seriousness of the charges. He said Washburn had to be extradited from New York, and he believed that she could be a "risk of nonappearance in this matter."

Beebe, her attorney, argued for no bond, saying Washburn is not a flight risk and that his client disputes the victim's account of the events.

The judge continued the case to Part A in New London, where major crimes are heard, for Jan. 11. He also issued a protective order for the alleged victim and their two children.

i.larraneta@theday.com

Twitter: @larraneta