A 39-year-old man from Staples faces three charges in Wadena County District Court for an alleged domestic assault and having weapons he was prohibited from possessing.
Early in the morning of March 11, Wadena County dispatch received a 911 hang-up call, according to court records, and traced the call back to a residence where a woman was in a domestic disturbance with a man there. The woman told authorities that Timothy Dale Whitaker, 39, Staples, had approached her while she was in bed, poured water on her, and began to strangle her using both hands. She said Whitaker "just went crazy" and strangled her for approximately one minute, then went out of the room to lie down on the couch, according to court documents. She attempted to call 911, and Whitaker allegedly grabbed the phone away and threw it on the floor.
Whitaker is a convicted felon in the state of Oregon, and forbidden from having firearms. However, investigators found six guns in the residence, including a loaded gun next to the front door.
He was charged March 11 with ineligible person in possession of a firearm, domestic assault by strangulation and interfere with a 911 emergency call. His first court appearance was set for Monday, March 22.
