Lane County man gets 90 months for violent domestic assault
Vaale got 90 months after a dinner argument over gambling losses turned into a strangulation and beating that left his wife with lasting concussion effects.
Judge Debra Vogt sent David Dwayne Vaale to prison for 90 months on June 29 after he pleaded guilty to first-degree assault and felony strangulation in a domestic-violence attack that left his wife with serious injuries and long-term effects. Vaale will also serve three years of post-prison supervision after he is released.
The violence began on March 28, 2025, during a dinner conversation about Vaale losing money gambling. Vaale shoved his wife to the floor, got on top of her, repeatedly punched her while kneeling on her chest, and struck her in the head multiple times with a steel mug, leaving cuts that required stitches. After handing her the phone to call 911, he told her, “Tell the effing cops I’ll be at CJ’s,” then went upstairs, grabbed a hammer, smashed property and left. Eugene police later found him and Vaale admitted to the assault. Lane County jail records list Eugene Police Department case number 25-04989 and Lane County Circuit Court case number 25CR17840, with an arrest date of March 29, 2025.
The victim’s written statement was read aloud at sentencing. She said the attack changed her life and that she still lives with the consequences of the concussion. Vaale apologized in court and called the sentence his atonement.
Oregon law lists assault in the first degree and strangulation as separate offenses in Chapter 163, and the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission’s sentencing guidelines grid uses the crime seriousness ranking and criminal history classification to determine the presumptive block for felony prison terms. In 2025, lawmakers sought to increase penalties for felony strangulation and classify it as crime category 8. In Lane County, the District Attorney’s Victim Services Program uses court, protective-order and family-violence volunteers. People seeking help can contact Hope & Safety Alliance at 541-485-6513, call Lane County Victim Services at 541-682-4128 for protective-order information, or use Call to Safety’s confidential support line statewide.
This article was produced by Prism’s automated news system from verified source data, official records, and press releases, then run through automated quality and moderation checks before publishing. The system is built and supervised by the people who set the standards it runs under. Read our full AI policy.
Did this article answer your question?
