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Bail is set at $100,000 for a Mossyrock man accused of strangling and beating a woman early Saturday morning.
Zachary James Harris, 45, was arrested after deputies with the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office responded to calls from two parties at an address in the 100 block of Bowen Road in Mossyrock at 4:30 a.m. on May 17. One call was from the victim reporting that Harris had assaulted her multiple times. The other call was from Harris reporting that the victim “was calling dispatch to make it look like he had assaulted her,” according to court documents.
When deputies arrived, they noted that the victim had “multiple large, fresh contusions on her forehead along with fresh scratches to ler face and legs.”
Harris was not present outside the Bowen Road property when deputies arrived.
According to the victim, Harris “became enraged” after deputies responded to an earlier call and left the scene. Harris reportedly told the victim to leave the property and, as she was leaving, he allegedly “pushed her down in the grass just outside the front door of the residence.”
Harris allegedly “punched her in the face and used his forearm across her throat to keep her from moving,” according to court documents.
The Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office stated in charging documents that “During this time, (the victim) said she could not breathe and she believed she was going to die.”
The victim reported that she “screamed as much as she could,” which drew the attention of two other people on the property.
One of the witnesses reported that “she came outside and saw the two in the grassy area away from their residence,” adding that “she could not see what was happening very well but believed them to be fighting.”
Deputies reportedly made multiple attempts to get Harris to exit a trailer on the Bowen Road property before they obtained a search warrant to enter the trailer.
Deputies reportedly forced entry and located Harris inside.
He was booked into the Lewis County Jail at approximately 7:18 a.m. on May 17, according to jail records.
He was charged Monday, May 19, in Lewis County Superior Court with one count each of second-degree assault, domestic violence; and fourth-degree assault, domestic violence.
His bail was set at $50,000 over the weekend, but Lewis County Superior Court Judge Joely Yeager ruled to raise bail to $100,000 on Monday after reviewing the affidavit of probable cause and Harris’ criminal history, which includes several domestic violence-related convictions out of Washington state as well as first-degree rape, failure to register as a sex offender and 17 other convictions out of Oregon.
“It’s not clear the age of that history,” defense attorney Rachael Tiller said of the Oregon criminal history on Monday.
Yeager also noted the risk that Harris would interfere in the administration of justice as a concern due to Harris allegedly refusing to exit the trailer when deputies attempted to arrest him.
Arraignment is scheduled for Thursday, May 22.
