Baker City man jailed on assault, strangulation charges after domestic call

Baker City police jailed Alan William Wolfe, 38, of Baker City, after a 9:50 p.m. call in the 2600 block of Eighth Street on May 22 led to charges of fourth-degree assault, strangulation in a domestic-violence case and harassment.

The strangulation allegation gives the case immediate public-safety weight. Oregon treats strangulation as a standalone offense under ORS 163.187, and Oregon appellate courts have recognized that it can overlap factually with fourth-degree assault while still remaining a separate crime. In 2025, a legislative measure proposed raising the maximum penalty for felony strangulation to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. CDC data also show the broader stakes: more than 1 in 3 women and more than 1 in 6 men in the United States have experienced contact sexual violence, physical violence or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetimes.

The May 23 Baker County public-safety log also showed the county’s steady traffic-safety burden. An injury accident was reported at 12:56 a.m. on Interstate 84 at milepost 318 eastbound, and a noninjury accident was logged at Campbell and 14th streets at 7:28 a.m. on May 22.

Those locations are familiar to anyone who follows the county’s public-safety logs. Interstate 84 crashes and wrecks at city intersections turn up repeatedly in the Baker City Herald’s log entries, underscoring that first responders are often split between domestic calls, highway collisions and neighborhood accidents in the same day.

The mix matters because it shows where the pressure points are. A domestic-violence arrest with a strangulation charge signals a case that can escalate quickly and requires an immediate response from police and the jail system. The crash reports add another layer, showing how Baker County’s emergency workload stretches from Baker City streets to the interstate corridor that cuts through the county.