Police dog bites suspect in assault

A Battle Ground man appeared Wednesday in Clark County Superior Court after allegedly assaulting a woman he knows and holding her captive inside a warehouse Tuesday. A police dog bit him during the arrest.

Darin Lee Erickson, 53, faces allegations of domestic violence-related second-degree assault, unlawful imprisonment and violating a no-contact order.

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. Upon arrival, officers didn’t see anyone. However, two witnesses said they saw a man drag a woman into the warehouse, according to the Battle Ground Police Department.

Officers called out to the couple in the warehouse, but there was no response. Officers said they heard a struggle and then forced their way inside the warehouse by kicking open a door.

A police K-9 and additional officers arrived and found a man and woman inside the dark warehouse, police said. As officers attempted to take Erickson into custody, he became physically combative, prompting the police dog to bite him, according to the police department.

Erickson was taken to a hospital for treatment and was subsequently booked into the Clark County Jail.

The woman 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 court documents.

On Wednesday, Judge Robert Lewis appointed a defense attorney and set Erickson’s bail at $50,000.

He will be arraigned Jan. 7.