Man charged for choking pregnant girlfriend

MOSES LAKE — A Moses Lake man is accused of choking his 8-month pregnant girlfriend after she allegedly told him she needed to go to the grocery store, but was too pregnant to drive.

Grant County prosecutors charged Michael Roelle Jr., 34, of Moses Lake, with second-degree assault-domestic violence.

Moses Lake police were told of a possible physical domestic violence incident in progress in the 1300 block of West Ivy Avenue about 1:20 p.m. on Sunday. Officers arrived at the scene and detained Roelle and began questioning the alleged victim.

The woman claimed she and Roelle, whom she identified as her boyfriend, started arguing because “she was too pregnant to drive” and needed to go to the grocery store. She said Roelle was lying on the floor when they started arguing and he got up in her face, according to court records. The woman pushed Roelle away and he reportedly grabbed her by the throat, rendering her unable to breathe.

“I looked at (the victim’s) neck and on her left side I could see a slightly red mark. It ran at an upward angle from front to back,” wrote a MLPD officer. “In my experiences with prior choking DV (domestic violence) cases I know it is common for the fingers to leave those kinds of marks. This is due to the angle of the hand when one person grabs another’s neck.”

She claimed after Roelle choked her he struck her with his forearm, causing her to fall to the ground. The alleged victim admitted to picking up a “stick” to defend herself, as she claimed Roelle had assaulted her in the past.

Roelle gave police a different version of what occurred. He said his girlfriend “was freaking out” about not getting her way and she ended up attacking him. He told police the woman scratched him, with a officer noticing “visible” recent scratch marks on both sides of his neck.

Roelle stated he had never assaulted his girlfriend before and said she had been physical with him in previous altercations. He said he pushed her away from attacking him and admitted his hands could have slipped toward her neck when he pushed her, according to court documents.

Richard Byrd can be reached via email at city@columbiabasinherald.com.