Man accused of putting child in ‘chokehold’ at Chehalis Walmart in June is charged with aggravated assault

By Emily Fitzgerald / [email protected]

A man accused of strangling a child at the Chehalis Walmart on June 13 has been charged with second-degree assault on a child under 13 years old.

The charge is a Class B felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

A witness reported seeing a man, now identified as Daniel Travis Kaufman, 41, of Olympia, grab a child “in a chokehold…as he carried the child back to his vehicle,” according to filings filed with Lewis County Superior charging documents filed show court.

The witness reported that “she couldn’t hear much due to the noise from her own car, but saw the child running back to a woman, believed to be her mother.”

A Chehalis Police Department officer conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle in which Kaufman and the child were entering.

The officer noted that Kaufman was “visibly upset and exhibited aggressive behavior toward him” and that the child “appeared to be genuinely afraid of (Kaufman),” according to court documents.

When questioned, Kaufman reported that he had a child exchange with the child’s mother, but the child “refused to go with him” and “kept getting out of his vehicle and going back to his mother.” Because she kept walking away, according to court documents, Kaufman said he “basically grabbed her in a naked chokehold around the waist and neck, but said he didn’t choke her.”

The child’s mother later confirmed Kaufman’s story.

The officer noted that the child “showed no visible signs of being restrained by Kaufman.” When interviewed, the child reported that “she felt pain and her breathing was restricted due to pressure on the front of her neck” when Kaufman allegedly picked her up.

Kaufman was arraigned in Lewis County Superior Court on September 20 and was issued a summons for a preliminary hearing on October 7, at which he was present.

A judge ruled Monday that Kaufman could be released on $50,000 unsecured bail pending his trial.

A contact ban applies to protect the child until the case is resolved.

Arraignment is scheduled for Thursday, October 17.