LYNDEN, Wash. — Gary Alan Vis was facing a charge of 2nd-degree assault with strangulation, a class B felony, in Whatcom County Superior Court following an incident that resulted in law enforcement being dispatched to his residence shortly after midnight on Sunday, January 21, 2024.
According to court documents, the charge was dismissed with prejudice on Wednesday, February 12, 2025, after “defendant complied with requirements of him to receive a dismissal.”
A court document dated August 12, 2024, indicated there were ongoing negotiations between the prosecutors and defense.
Vis, age 57 and of Lynden, has been the executive of the Lynden Chamber of Commerce for over 18 years and had been recently elected to the Lynden City Council at the time of the incident.
According to an affidavit of probable cause filed with the court, Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the Vis’ residence and contacted a family member who told them they had been in a verbal argument with Vis. Vis is reported to then have put the family member in a choke hold, restricting their breathing. The family member told deputies that it wasn’t until a second family member intervened after 1 or 2 minutes, that Vis released the first family member from the choke hold. The second family member reported the same to deputies.
Vis reportedly admitted to deputies to having placed his arm around the first family member’s throat for about 2 minutes.
Discover more from Whatcom News
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
