Authorities in North Dakota have charged a Fargo man with serious felony offenses following an alleged domestic violence incident that left a woman injured inside an apartment, according to court and jail records.
Michael David Schaffer, 36, was taken into custody Thursday and is facing counts of aggravated assault with a weapon and domestic violence assault causing serious bodily injury, as listed in Cass County jail records. Investigators say the incident unfolded around 8:20 p.m. at an apartment in Fargo, near the Minnesota border.
Police allege that Schaffer became upset while inside the residence with a woman and at least one other individual, believing they were speaking too loudly.
According to court documents cited by local media, the situation escalated when Schaffer allegedly began damaging items in the apartment before forcing the woman against a bathroom door.
Investigators say Schaffer then choked the woman with one hand for approximately one minute. When another person intervened and shouted for him to stop, authorities allege he grabbed a pair of pliers, cursed, and injured the woman in her right elbow with the tool.
Officers from the Fargo Police Department responded to the scene and reported finding the woman with two cuts on her elbow, along with visible redness on her neck and chest consistent with the reported assault.
Police say Schaffer initially left the apartment but later returned and was found in the building’s entryway. He reportedly denied the allegations, telling officers that the woman had attacked him instead.
Schaffer was arrested and booked into the Cass County jail. He was scheduled to be arraigned on Friday, where formal proceedings in the North Dakota criminal court system were expected to begin.
