Police Department

Man Claims He "Fell on Tools"; Investigation Leads to 3 Felony Charges

Cpl. Teresa Fuller

Saturday, August 4, 2018 at 10:06 a.m.

Thanks to astute hospital staff, a walk up complaint of injuries sustained after “falling on tools”, led to three domestic violence felony charges. Christopher Baber (33) will be booked into Spokane County Jail on 3 felonies after an extensive investigation by Spokane Police Patrol Officers.

Thursday night, August 2, 2018, just before midnight, Spokane Police received a call of an assault at a residence in the 2600 block of west Boone. The complainant advised he was going to go to the hospital to get treated, but officers were unable to locate him when they arrived. After checking the hospital and not finding the victim, officers checked the residence where the initial call came in, but did not get an answer at the door and didn’t initially see any evidence of a problem.

Just after 3:00am, August 3^rd, officers were contacted by hospital staff at a different E.R. about a male claiming he’d “fallen on some tools” at home, but the injuries he had weren’t consistent with what he was saying. Officers contacted the male, identified as Christopher Baber and recognized that he’d been named as a suspect in the earlier call. Baber did not cooperate with the investigation, though it was obvious he’d been in some kind of altercation. He had several wounds that appeared to be stab wounds and was admitted to the hospital for non-life threatening injuries.

Officers responded back to the Boone address and secured a search warrant to check the home for evidence and for the welfare of those inside. Once inside, officers found the original male victim, as well as a female Baber was prohibited from contacting because of a domestic violence order. Officers also found evidence supporting the conclusion that Baber had indeed been stabbed during an altercation despite his claims to the contrary.

Based on the evidence and statements from those involved, it was determined Baber arrived at the Boone address and was involved in an altercation with the other male. The domestic violence order not only prohibited Baber from contacting the female, but also prohibited him from being at the Boone residence.

Once the investigation was complete, it was determined that Baber would be charged with Felony Domestic Violence Order Violation, 1^st Degree Burglary (Domestic Violence), and 2^nd Degree Assault. He’ll be booked into Spokane County Jail once he’s released from the hospital.

One in 3 Spokane women and 1 in 7 men will have experienced domestic violence in their lifetime. Females ages 16-24 are more vulnerable to intimate partner violence than any other age group at the rate almost triple the national average. If you or someone you know is currently in a dangerous relationship, there is help. In an emergency always call 911, but for resources, you can go to the website for the Spokane Domestic Violence Consortium at https://ywcaspokane.org/programs/help-with-domestic-violence/ or call 509-326-CALL (2255) for 24/7 assistance from trained advocates.

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