A recent incident in North Dakota has brought to light the dangers of domestic disputes turning violent. The incident occurred in Fargo, where authorities responded to a call from a woman who claimed she had been stabbed. Upon arriving at the scene, officers noticed two circular cuts near the woman’s elbow, along with red marks on her chest and neck. The woman, whose identity has not been disclosed, alleged that Michael David Schaffer had become enraged after witnessing her talking loudly with another individual.
Schaffer, whose relationship with the woman remains unclear, reportedly started breaking items in the apartment out of frustration. Subsequently, he shoved her against a wall and proceeded to choke her for approximately one minute. The situation escalated when the woman asked him to stop, and he allegedly grabbed a pair of pliers and stabbed them into her elbow.
Following the altercation, Schaffer left the premises but later returned and was apprehended by the police in the entryway of the apartment building. He was subsequently arrested and taken to Cass County Jail on charges of aggravated assault with a dangerous weapon or other weapon and domestic violence/assault with serious bodily injury. Schaffer’s arraignment was scheduled for the following day, where he denied all accusations leveled against him and claimed that the woman was the aggressor in the alleged attack.
In North Dakota, aggravated assault is typically classified as a Class B or Class C felony, with penalties including a maximum sentence of five years in prison and fines of up to $10,000. Additionally, a first offense of domestic violence assault may result in a jail term of up to 30 days and a fine of $1,500, according to Reichert Law.
This incident is not Schaffer’s first encounter with law enforcement. In 2019, he was arrested along with four others by the Metro Street Crime Unit in connection with a stolen vehicle investigation, as reported by Valley News Live.
The North Dakota Domestic & Sexual Violence Coalition has highlighted the prevalence of intimate partner violence, with statistics indicating that one in four women and one in ten men have experienced contact sexual violence, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner during their lifetime.
In a separate incident involving multiple arrests, Andrew John Patrick Collison was taken into custody for charges related to marijuana possession, felony possession of drug paraphernalia, and other offenses. Other individuals arrested in the same incident included Linda Lou Poitra, Shawn Michael Schwandt, and James Edward Martinez, each facing various charges.
Schaffer, who was 28 years old at the time of the incident, was taken into custody for an alleged probation violation.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please reach out to the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.
