FARGO — West Fargo City Administrator Timothy Solberg is facing two felony charges in Cass County District Court after he was arrested over the weekend on suspicion of domestic assault.
Solberg was charged Tuesday, Jan. 18, with one count of aggravated assault of an adult victim and one count of felony resisting arrest. Both charges are Class C felonies.
Tuesday afternoon, Solberg made his first appearance before a judge, who set his bail at $10,000 bond or $1,000 cash with Solberg promising to make future court appearances.
According to police reports, officers were called to Solberg's home late Saturday, Jan. 15, for a report of a domestic incident.
When officers arrived, they were told Solberg and his wife arrived home just before midnight, and as they walked in the house, he grabbed his wife and threw her down to the ground, causing her to lose consciousness.
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Solberg grabbed the his wife by the throat and slammed her head against the wall, the report said.
The couple's children were in the home at the time officers arrived, and they reported that while they did not see the incident, some of them saw their mother unconscious.
According to the report, Solberg said it had gotten physical but was evasive when answering questions. As officers attempted to place him under arrest, he tried to evade them by "pulling away and disobeying commands to put his hands behind his back."
A city of Fargo spokesperson confirmed Sunday, Jan. 16, that an adult was taken from Solberg's home by ambulance Saturday but could not say if the patient remained in the hospital or was treated and released.
Solberg, who remained in custody at the Cass County Jail Tuesday, has retained attorney Mark Friese for his defense.
Friese said he expects Solberg to plead not guilty to the charges against him, but they had not yet met face to face.
"He does plan to contest the allegations, and we will be making sure that all the reports get requested," Friese said. "We have yet to get all the background. I suspect there is much more to come."
Solberg, a longtime planner and former planning and zoning director for the city of West Fargo, was named the city's first assistant city administrator in March 2021.
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The city of West Fargo placed Solberg on unpaid administrative leave as it conducts an internal investigation of the matter, West Fargo Communications Director Melissa Richard said.
