Mattawa man charged with assault, harassment

MATTAWA — A Mattawa man is facing charges for allegedly grabbing a man by the neck and threatening to kill him with a knife.

Grant County prosecutors charged Jaime Tomas Baltazar, 39, of Mattawa, with first-degree assault, harassment and fourth-degree assault. Tomas Baltazar’s bail was previously set at $25,000.

On April 18, the Grant County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a disturbance occurring in the 300 block of Priest Rapids Drive. Police were told a man had allegedly been threatened with a knife over an argument about name calling, according to court documents.

Tomas Baltazar was located by a deputy in the area and taken into custody for questioning. The victim in the alleged incident claimed Tomas Baltazar and his son started calling him names and he told them they should respect him. Tomas Baltazar allegedly came up from behind the victim and grabbed him around the neck, causing injuries to both sides of the man's neck.

Tomas Baltazar allegedly grabbed a knife and told the victim he was going to kill him. The victim said Tomas Baltazar was holding the knife in a “threatening manner” and he was able to grab Tomas Baltazar’s hands. The victim said he wasn’t cut by the knife, but he was almost stabbed. Tomas Baltazar’s son reportedly helped hold his father back and kept him from stabbing the victim.

Tomas Baltazar corroborated the victim’s story of an argument over name calling, but he claimed the victim hit him in the back of the head, so in self-defense he fought back. He denied ever picking up a knife. The victim denied hitting Tomas Baltazar, with deputies stating “there was no evidence that he did,” according to court documents.

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