Man sentenced for kicking pregnant officer, possession of drugs

A man who kicked a nine-month-pregnant officer in the stomach while he was being held in the Hill County Detention Center last year was sentenced Monday in state District Court in Havre to five years in state custody.

Anthony D. Ekstrom, born in 1991, appeared in District Court by video network from the Crossroads Correctional Center in Shelby and was sentenced to a five-year commitment to the Department of Corrections for the offense of assault on a peace officer and a five year commitment to the DOC for criminal possession of dangerous drugs, both felonies.

District Court Judge Daniel Boucher said the sentences are to be served at the same time and with any other sentence Ekstrom is already serving.

Boucher designated Ekstrom as a persistent felony offender.

The incident happened in October 2015, when a pregnant Hill County Detention Center officer was escorting Ekstrom to the booking area so he could change out of his street clothes.

The officer noticed that Ekstrom was “acting strange” and called for assistance.

Officers told Ekstrom to put his hands on the wall so they could conduct a pat search after he was seen putting something into his pants. Ekstrom refused to comply with orders and started kicking the officers. The pregnant officer was behind Ekstrom, trying to help contain him, when he kicked her in the stomach

Ekstrom was restrained and moved to a room with padded walls, where pills, drugs and drug paraphernalia were found on him while being patted down. Among the confirmed drugs found were heroin and Xanax.

Another altercation erupted and Ekstrom again attacked the officer and kicked her again before being restrained.

The officer was transported to Northern Montana Hospital.

A representative at the Hill County Detention Center said that the officer has taken her maternity leave and returned to work since the incident.