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EUGENE — A federal court sentenced a Baker City man to more than two years in prison for assaulting his girlfriend on the Burns Paiute Indian Reservation.

Skyhawk Teeman Garcia, 29, will serve 26 months in a federal prison, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office of Oregon, plus three years of post-prison supervision.

According to the press release, Garcia on March 11, 2023, went to his then-girlfriend’s house on the Burns Paiute Indian Reservation while intoxicated and demanded access to her phone. When she refused, Garcia, a former mixed martial arts fighter, became angry and put the victim in a chokehold, strangling her. The victim’s child intervened, causing Garcia to release the victim, and then called 911. Garcia punched multiple holes in a wall before leaving the residence.

Police arrived as Garcia was walking away from the house. He told the officer he had an argument with his girlfriend and punched some walls, but denied assaulting the victim.

A federal grand jury on April 20, 2023, in Eugene returned an indictment charging Garcia with one count of assault by strangulation. One year later, on April 24, he pleaded guilty to the single charge.

The FBI and Bureau of Indian Affairs Police investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey S. Sweet handled the prosecution.