Wenatchee Rabbi/Pastor Convicted On Two Counts Of Assault

A 50-year-old messianic rabbi from Dryden could spend years in prison after being convicted by a jury in Chelan County of assault against his former partner.  

Isaac David Heckman was found guilty of two counts of 2nd Degree Assault, one for Substantial Bodily Harm and the other for Strangulation. 

The jury could not agree on a third charge of Assault with a Deadly Weapon. 

Heckman is the Rabbi/Pastor for the Assembly of Called Out Believers, a Wenatchee-based messianic fellowship that combines teachings from both Judaism and Christianity.  

He's scheduled to be sentenced on July 17 and could face a maximum of 10 years in prison for each count. 

Heckman was originally charged in April 2021 with three counts of second-degree assault after being accused of choking and assaulting his former partner.   

His trial was set to begin last December, but it was delayed when prosecutors and Heckman’s defense attorney asked for more time to collect transcripts and conduct interviews.  

Superior Court Judge Kristin Ferrera granted a continuance and set a new trial date for last month but noted the age of the case and warned that another continuance may not be granted.   

Both the state and Heckman’s defense attorney were granted a continuance in September for the purpose of interviewing more witnesses.   

He was also charged with misdemeanor disclosing intimate images in the case.  

According to the original arresting court affidavit in March of 2021, the victim alleged that Heckman choked her and physically assaulted her multiple times.   

He was initially charged with three felony counts of second-degree assault and domestic violence.   

A year after his arrest, Heckman was additionally charged with cyberstalking, violation of a court order, tampering with a witness, and for disclosing intimate images, after a website containing intimate photos of the victim came to light.   

His defense attorney motioned to dismiss the first three aforementioned charges, stating that there was an insufficient amount of evidence tying Heckman to that website. 

Judge Ferrera dismissed three out of the four additional charges in March of this year. He was ultimately charged with the three counts of assault before going to trial last week.