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Press Release

Lapwai Man Sentenced For Strangulation

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Idaho

COEUR D’ALENE – Robert Ryan Johnson, Jr., 36, of Lapwai, Idaho, was sentenced yesterday to 18 months in prison for strangulation, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced.  The court also ordered Johnson to serve three years of supervised release following his sentence and complete a one year anger management counseling course.  He pleaded guilty to the charge on October 20, 2015. 

According to the plea agreement, in March 2014, Johnson got into an argument with his intimate or dating partner.  Johnson admitted that during the argument he grabbed the victim by the neck and strangled or attempted to strangler her. 

“The strangulation statute and the Violence Against Women Act are useful tools to fight domestic violence crimes that endanger women and children in Native American communities,” said Olson.  “This violence tears apart families, damages children, and may even have lethal consequences.”

The case was investigated by the Nez Perce Tribal Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  The case was prosecuted in federal court because the crime occurred on the Nez Perce Indian Reservation and the defendant is an enrolled member of a federally recognized tribe. 

Updated February 4, 2016

Topic
Indian Country Law and Justice
Component