Bail is set at $50,000 for a man accused of strangling his girlfriend in Morton on May 15 and threatening to kill her if she told anyone about the assault.
Michael Allen Goad, 64, of Onalaska, was arrested and booked into the Lewis County Jail at approximately 7:50 p.m. on Tuesday, May 27, after he was charged in Lewis County Superior Court with one count each of second-degree assault, domestic violence, and felony harassment, domestic violence.
“I know that he’s quite frustrated with this charging,” defense attorney Rachael Tiller said during Goad’s preliminary hearing in Lewis County Superior Court on Wednesday.
Goad is accused of tackling the victim to the ground at a Morton residence on May 15, pressing his weight against her chest and strangling her, before allegedly making the victim “promise not to tell anyone” and leaving the scene.
The victim reported that Goad attacked her after she asked him to leave because he was yelling at her, according to court documents.
She reported that Goad punched her repeatedly in the stomach and “would not stop pushing her chest, neck and head to the ground and had her mouth covered and she could not breathe,” according to court documents.
Goad allegedly “threatened to kill her if she told anyone (about the assault),” which the victim said made her “scared to death.”
He allegedly agreed to leave the residence after she “agreed not to tell,” according to court documents.
Once Goad left the residence, the victim reportedly locked the door behind him and called 911.
The Morton Police Department was dispatched in response to the 911 call at approximately 3:46 p.m. on May 15, according to court documents.
A responding officer reportedly confirmed that the victim had visible injuries to her right forearm and her throat, and found a broken container on the floor that the victim said broke when Goad tackled her to the ground, according to court documents.
The Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office noted that law enforcement were unable to contact Goad, who they said “is known for hiding from law enforcement.”
Due to his extensive criminal history, which includes 17 prior warrants and a pending no-contact order violation case out of Lewis County District Court, Judge Joely Yeager ruled Wednesday to uphold the $50,000 bail that was set in the arrest warrant.
Arraignment is scheduled for Thursday, June 5.
