Lodge Grass man admits assaulting dating partner

BILLINGS —A Lodge Grass man today admitted to assaulting and injuring his girlfriend on the Crow Indian Reservation, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.

Brian Allen Kruger, 61, pleaded guilty to assault of a dating or intimate partner resulting in substantial injury. Kruger faces a maximum of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.

U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided. The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. The court set sentencing for March 20, 2024. Kruger remains detained pending further proceedings.

In court documents, the government alleged that on Feb. 28, 2021, Kruger assaulted his girlfriend, identified as Jane Doe, while at a house in Lodge Grass, on the Crow Indian Reservation. Kruger and Jane Doe were drinking and talking and got into an argument. The argument escalated, and Kruger punched Jane Doe in the face and knocked her off the chair where she was sitting. Kruger continued hitting Jane Doe as she headed down a hallway. While Kruger went to the kitchen to get some more vodka, Jane Doe escaped out of a window and ran to a neighbor’s house. The neighbor called 911, and Jane Doe was treated for injuries at the Indian Health Service.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amanda L. Myers and Lori Harper Suek are prosecuting the case. The Bureau of Indian Affairs conducted the investigation.

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