Details released regarding charge filed against Lynden Chamber Exec, City Councilmember

LYNDEN, Wash. — Gary Alan Vis, age 56 and of Lynden, has been the executive of the Lynden Chamber of Commerce for over 17 years and was recently elected to the Lynden City Council. As such, it was notable when his name appeared on the Whatcom County Jail booking roster shortly after midnight on Sunday, January 21st, charged with 2nd-degree domestic violence assault.

An affidavit of probable cause for arrest prepared by the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) and filed in Whatcom County Superior Court by prosecutors details what WCSO deputies reportedly encountered when they responded to a report of a domestic disturbance.

According to the affidavit, deputies responded to the residence and contacted a family member who told them they had been in a verbal argument with Vis. The family member said they “picked up a portable charger and began squeezing it” and this made Vis angry.

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.

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Vis reportedly admitted to deputies to having placed his arm around the first family member’s throat for around 2 minutes.

Deputies were told Vis had never tried to choke a family member before.

Deputies placed Vis into custody and booked him into the jail.

He remained in custody at the jail overnight until making a preliminary court appearance on Monday, January 22nd. During this hearing, prosecutors asked for bail to be set at $10,000 and the defense requested Vis be released on his own personal recognizance. The court granted the defense’s request and Vis was released from custody.

Vis is currently facing a charge of 2nd-degree assault with strangulation, a class B felony, in Whatcom County Superior Court. An arraignment hearing was held on February 2nd. Future hearings are not appearing in court records as of today, February 5th.