Ridgefield man who threatened baby gets 10.5 years in prison

A Ridgefield man was sentenced Friday to 10½ years in prison for threatening to kill his infant daughter and violating a domestic violence no-contact order with the child’s mother.

At a bench trial last month, Clark County Superior Court Judge Jennifer Snider found Aarondeep Johal, 34, guilty of attempted first-degree domestic violence assault, felony domestic violence court order violation, felony harassment and third-degree assault of a law enforcement officer. She found him not guilty of first-degree domestic violence kidnapping, court records show.

Snider sentenced Johal to the statutory maximum, 120 months, for attempted first-degree assault because of Johal’s high offender score. She also ruled that Johal used a deadly weapon, a hammer, when he threatened to kill his daughter and the Vancouver police officers who responded to the disturbance in October 2021. The deadly weapon ruling added an additional six months to Johal’s sentence.

Snider also ordered Johal to undergo substance use treatment because he was under the influence of alcohol during the incident.

“Probably the worst part of this whole thing is an absolutely gorgeous baby … with no mommy or daddy because of your decisions, in part,” Snider said. “That’s just sad, not just for her but for everyone involved.”

The child’s mother died after the case was filed. Prosecutors said her death was unrelated to the case.

Johal told the judge he never intended to harm his daughter and said he regrets the incident.

He was free on bail for previous domestic violence charges involving the child’s mother when he was arrested in October 2021.

Officers said when they entered the woman’s apartment, they found Johal holding the baby. He picked up a hammer and raised it above the child’s head, threatening to kill her. He eventually put down the hammer but then threatened to throw the child off the balcony. Officers blocked the sliding door to the balcony, according to a probable cause affidavit.

After a struggle, officers were able to get the child away from Johal and arrested him. During his arrest, Johal reportedly spat on an officer, the affidavit states.