Man Facing Assault Charges After Allegedly Striking, Choking Girlfriend At Ellensburg Hotel

An out-of-state man is facing assault charges after allegedly choking his girlfriend during an argument at an Ellensburg hotel on Valentine's Day.

The Ellensburg Daily Record says 35-year-old Ryan James Muth of Unity, Oregon was arrested on Feb. 14 at the hotel in the 1500 block of South Canyon Road after a panicked woman called 9-1-1 from the property at around 11 a.m. and hung up on dispatchers.

Prior to disconnecting, the woman reportedly said she was from "out of town," and when another woman in the background asked if she was alright, she said "no."

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The woman then failed to answer when dispatchers called her back moments later.

Court records indicate officers with the Ellensburg Police Department responded to the hotel and found the woman in the parking lot where she reportedly told them she'd gotten into an argument in the room she was sharing with Muth, who struck her as many as nine times before he “choked her almost to the point of losing consciousness.”

Muth had reportedly gotten upset with the woman after she said she was going back to Oregon and he didn't want her to leave because it was Valentine's Day.

Officers say Muth had been drinking alcohol that day and didn't know for what reason he and his girlfriend began arguing.

He was arrested and booked into the Kittitas County Jail, where he remains with a bail of $52,500, on charges of domestic violence assault and an outstanding warrant out of the Kennewick area.

At his arraignment in Kittitas County Superior Court last Thursday (Feb. 19), Muth pled not guilty to the felony charges and Judge Chris Herion scheduled his trial for April 6.