GREAT FALLS – A jury on Friday convicted a Fort Belknap man
accused of assaulting and strangling a woman in Lodge Pole on the Fort Belknap
Indian Reservation last year, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
The jury found Jordan Alexander Werk, 32, guilty of assault
by striking, beating or wounding and of strangulation. The jury acquitted Werk
of assault of a dating partner resulting in substantial bodily injury. Werk
faces a maximum 10 years, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release
on the strangulation charge and a maximum one year in prison, a $100,000 fine
and one year of supervised release on the assault count.
The trial began on Thursday, with U.S. District Judge Brian
M. Morris presiding. Judge Morris set sentencing for June 3 and continued Werk’s
detention.
“There is no excuse for assaulting a woman. We know that
Native women face higher rates of violence and sexual violence and we are
committed to prosecuting those who prey on them. I want to thank Assistant U.S.
Attorney Paulette Stewart, the FBI and the Fort Belknap tribal law enforcement
for investigating and prosecuting this case,” U.S. Attorney Alme said.
The prosecution presented evidence at trial that Werk
assaulted and strangled the victim on April 8, 2019 in Lodge Pole in Blaine
County and on the Fort Belknap Reservation. The victim reported on April 8,
2019 that Werk had assaulted her by grabbing her hair and throwing her to the
ground. Werk kicked her in the chest, punched her in the head and choked her,
causing her to see stars and have trouble breathing.
The victim also told law enforcement that during the
assault, Werk told her that he knew how to hit someone to not show bruises and
that if she was going to act like a victim, then he would treat her like one.
The victim was treated for injuries, including a broken rib, at the Indian
Health Service in Harlem.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Paulette Stewart prosecuted the
case, which was investigated by the FBI and Fort Belknap tribal law
enforcement.
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