An Eastern Oregon man, Skyhawk Teeman Garcia, from Baker City received a federal prison sentence of 27 months this Tuesday after an assault on his then-girlfriend within the confined geographic and emotional boundaries of the Burns Paiute Indian Reservation. Garcia, aged 29 and also facing a subsequent three years under supervised release, pled guilty to a single charge of assault by strangulation dating back to an instance in March 2023, as detailed in a press release by the U.S. Attorney's Office – District of Oregon.
The conviction story unfolds from March 11, 2023 when Garcia, influenced by intoxication, confronted his then-partner demanding the access to her personal phone as per the same U.S. Attorney's Office press release– stemming from her refusal, he resorted to violence that escalated to straining her airways in a chokehold, an act interrupted by the bravery of a child that compelled Garcia’s release of his grip, the child called 911 which, in the sequence of time, led to law enforcement's involvement as Garcia vacated the premises post-wall-punching display of rage.
Local police were met with a less confrontational Garcia, who while retreating from the vicinity of the altercation admitted only to an argument and wall damage, explicitly denying the act of assault levied against him—a point noted in the U.S. Attorney's Office report. However, the denial did not withstand the scrutiny of the investigation led by the FBI and Bureau of Indian Affairs Police, eventually resulting in a federal grand jury indictment in April 2023 and Garcia's guilty plea a year later.
Those in need of support or emergency intervention are urged to contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233).
