Hays man sentenced for assault on Fort Belknap Indian Reservation

GREAT FALLS – A Hays man who struck a man in the face with a screwdriver was sentenced today to 6 months in prison, followed by 2 years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

Russell Thomas Young, 40, pleaded guilty in October 2025 to one count of assault with a dangerous weapon.

Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.

The government alleged in court documents that the defendant and John Doe spent portions of the day together at Doe’s house on September 23, 2023.  Young and Doe were outside doing yard work when Young began to act strangely, staring into the windows of the home. Eventually Young entered Doe’s home and went into the basement. While Young was in the basement, Doe and Doe’s wife overhead Young speaking as though other people were in the basement with him, despite Young being the only person there at the time. At that point, Doe went into the house and yelled down the stairs that Young should leave.

Young then emerged quickly from downstairs with a screwdriver in his hand. He attacked Doe by stabbing him with the screwdriver on the left side of Doe’s face, near the temple. Young continued to punch and strike Doe with the screwdriver until Doe’s wife stopped the assault by striking Young with a fishing pole. Doe’s wife called 911 and, because the house was filling with smoke, reported that Young had set the house on fire. Law enforcement arrived at the scene and extinguished a fire that started in the basement furnace.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The FBI, Fort Belknap Law Enforcement Services, Blaine County Sheriff’s Office and Phillips County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation.

XXX