Man gets 4 months in domestic violence

A Battle Ground man who assaulted a woman he knows and held her captive inside a warehouse was sentenced Friday to four months in jail.

Darin Lee Erickson, 54, pleaded guilty in Clark County Superior Court to third-degree domestic violence assault and a misdemeanor no-contact order violation. He also pleaded guilty in a separate case to driving under the influence and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm.

Battle Ground police responded at about 8:25 p.m. to reports of a woman trying to get away from a man, later identified as Erickson, near a warehouse in the area of Southeast Grace Avenue and Second Street. Two witnesses told police they saw a man drag a woman inside the warehouse, according to the Battle Ground Police Department.

Officers called out to the people in the warehouse, but there was no response. They said they heard a struggle and then forced their way inside by kicking open a door. A police dog was deployed and bit Erickson during his arrest.

The victim was taken to a local hospital after complaining of shoulder and arm pain. She told police that Erickson had strangled her, thrown her to the concrete floor and pinned her, and threatened to snap her neck if she tried to escape or made noise, according to a probable cause affidavit.

On Friday, Judge Gregory Gonzales agreed to follow the attorneys’ previously agreed-upon sentencing recommendation. Erickson was additionally sentenced to 12 months of community custody. He was given credit for 73 days in jail. He will also have to undergo treatment for domestic violence and alcohol abuse.

As part of the plea deal, Erickson will plead guilty in other cases filed in Battle Ground Municipal Court, according to Deputy Prosecutor Luka Vitasovic, who handled the domestic violence case.