PORT ANGELES -- A Port Angeles man has been sentenced to nearly two years in prison for fourth-degree felony domestic violence assault.
Jared Aguirre was sentenced to 20 months on Wednesday by Judge Simon Barnhart in Clallam County Superior Court. The sentencing followed a guilty verdict after a two-day jury trial, the county prosecuting attorney's office said.
The state recommended the same sentence, which was at the high end of the standard range under state law, the prosecuting attorney's office said.
Aguirre has numerous domestic violence convictions from both Washington and Alaska going back to the early 1990s, the prosecuting attorney's office said. More recently, he has domestic violence convictions for first-degree theft, fourth-degree assault and violation of a no-contact order involving the same victim from 2023, as well as a 2019 conviction for fourth-degree assault from Tacoma Municipal Court.
Under state law, only the domestic violence offenses committed after 2013 contributed to his offender score and standard range.
The sentence "captures the violence and brazenness Aguirre exhibited in the present case, punching (the victim) while on top of her in public," senior deputy prosecuting attorney Steven Johnson stated in a news release.
In sentencing Aguirre, Barnhart also imposed 12 months of community custody, required Aguirre to obtain evaluations for domestic violence perpetrator and substance use disorder treatment and comply with recommendations, and he kept in place a no contact order protecting the victim.
On October 21, 2025, a man was driving near the Clallam County Fairgrounds when he saw another man on top of a woman and punching down toward her. The man pulled over and the attacker walked away. The woman asked the man to call 911, the prosecuting attorney's office said.
Port Angeles Police Department Officer Nathan Swanson and Cpl. Bruce Fernie responded and located Aguirre, whose clothes matched the description the man gave to the dispatcher. The woman told Swanson that Aguirre had punched her in the head, and Swanson noticed swelling above her eye.
"This conviction demonstrates my office's commitment to holding domestic violence offenders accountable," Prosecuting Attorney Mark Nichols said "Senior Deputy Johnson, accompanied by one of my victim-witness coordinators and staff did outstanding work in supporting the survivor, preparing the case for trial and obtaining a conviction."
Nichols also said the woman exhibited bravery.
"She reported the assault to law enforcement, supported the prosecution, took the stand and testified and made a victim impact statement to the court prior to the sentence being imposed," Nichols said. "Each of these actions took extraordinary bravery and courage."
In addition to calling 911, individuals in domestic violence situations can call Healthy Families of Clallam County's 24/7/365 crisis line at 360-452-4357 and Mariposa House's 24-hour crisis line at 360-374-2273.