A Chehalis man accused of grabbing a woman by the neck and threatening to kill her during an argument on Sunday has been released from Lewis County Jail on $25,000 unsecured bail.
A protection order is in place preventing the defendant, identified in court documents as Tyrek Ahlyjuan Liggons, 23, from contacting the alleged victim or from going within 500 feet of her, her residence or her workplace.
On unsecured bail, a defendant can remain out of custody for the duration of their court case without paying the bail amount as long as they follow their conditions of release, which include appearing for all mandatory hearings, complying with the protection order and committing no additional crimes.
If the defendant violates their conditions of release, they will be remanded into custody and required to pay the unsecured bail amount without the option of being released.
Liggons is accused of assaulting the victim and threatening to kill her inside a Chehalis residence shortly before 5:10 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 19, according to documents filed in Lewis County Superior Court on Tuesday. He is additionally accused of knocking the victim’s phone out of her hand, injuring her thumb, when she tried to call 911.
The victim was able to run from the residence across the street to call the police, according to court documents.
Officers with the Chehalis Police Department were dispatched at approximately 5:10 p.m. and arrived on the scene about three minutes later, but by that point, Liggons had allegedly fled in a blue Nissan Altima.
Officers were unable to locate Liggons on Feb. 19, but upon returning to the residence to get a written statement from the victim the next day, they reportedly saw Liggons’ vehicle drive by the residence. An officer was able to stop and detain Liggons, according to court documents.
Upon his arrest, Liggons reportedly “claimed he was going to jail for the color of his skin.”
Liggons was charged Tuesday with one count each of second-degree assault, felony harassment and interfering with domestic violence reporting. All charges carry a domestic violence enhancement.
While Deputy Prosecutor Joe Bassetti asked Commissioner Paul Strophy to set Liggons’ bail at $50,000 secured due to community safety concerns, Stophy chose to set an unsecured bail amount for Liggons due to Liggons’ lack of criminal history.
Liggons’s arraignment hearing was scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 23.
