Browning man sentenced for assaulting woman

GREAT FALLS—A Browning man who admitted hitting a woman in the face after their vehicle struck an ambulance on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation was sentenced today to 18 months of probation, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

Christopher Harwood Mason, 55, pleaded guilty in July to assault by striking, beating or wounding, a misdemeanor.

U.S. Magistrate Judge John T. Johnston presided.

The prosecution said in court records that on Dec. 30, 2018, the Blackfeet Emergency Medical Services personnel were on a call in Browning when their ambulance was struck from the rear by a vehicle driven by Mason. The EMS personnel saw Mason back up and park in his driveway. They then observed Mason exit the vehicle, go around to the passenger side and begin hitting the victim, a woman, in the face. Law enforcement photographed injuries and blood on the victim’s face. Mason was transported to the hospital for assessment of potential injuries from the crash. Mason admitted to Glacier County Sheriff’s Office law enforcement at the hospital that he had struck the victim in the face.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kalah Paisley prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Glacier County Sheriff’s Office.

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