EVERETT — A Darrington man appears to have been wrestling with mental challenges and substance abuse before he allegedly forced his way into his neighbors’ home March 19 and shot a big-screen television.

Lance “Doug” Cochran, 36, was the man in the mask who broke into a house in the 6200 block of 473rd Drive NE and opened fire, deputy prosecutor Andrew Alsdorf said in Snohomish County Superior Court documents. Cochran is now charged with second-degree assault and first-degree burglary, both felonies.

Cochran served in the Marine Corps from 1999 through 2008. He’s been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder for two years but has not sought treatment, Alsdorf wrote.

The defendant’s family and friends say he became unstable and violent after a death in his family and an unwelcome job reassignment. He stopped going to work, “drank beer all day long” and used methamphetamine with a neighbor.

His wife left after a March 8 attack that included her being head-butted in the face and threatened with an axe. She later told authorities she was able to disarm Cochran and backed him down at gunpoint, court papers say.

The shots fired during the March 19 incident were overheard by 911 dispatchers. In addition to shooting a television, Cochran is accused of menacing his neighbors and putting a bullet through the tire of one of their vehicles while the man was trying to drive away.

After the gunfire, Cochran reportedly faded into the woods and went to ground. Police weren’t able to find him for four days. He ultimately surrendered to state Department of Natural Resources police officers that he knew from work. They delivered him to sheriff’s deputies.

Court papers released about the time of his arrest detailed how deputies were told that Cochran had previously outfitted himself with a military-style rifle, camouflage clothing and was lying in the woods, watching the investigation unfold.

Scott North: 425-339-3431; north@herald net.com. Twitter: @snorthnews.