From the Courts: Harlem man sentenced to prison for domestic abuse

From the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana

GREAT FALLS — A Harlem man was sentenced to 21 months in prison and three years of supervised release on Oct. 10 for conviction on domestic abuse charges, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

Jerel Edgar Johnson, 35, of Harlem, pleaded guilty in June to domestic abuse by a habitual offender.

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

The prosecution said in court records that Johnson assaulted the victim twice in June 2018 near Snake Butte on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation. Johnson had been convicted of at least two separate prior domestic assaults in tribal court. The victim sought medical treatment for her injuries and reported the abuse. The victim reported that Johnson had hit, kneed, slapped and choked her.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Paulette Stewart prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Fort Belknap Police Department and the FBI.