BILLINGS — A Butte man accused of strangling a woman on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation admitted charges today, U.S. Attorney Leif M. Johnson said.
Isaiah Benjamin Antelope, 26, pleaded guilty to strangulation. Antelope faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.
U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided. Sentencing was set for Aug. 17. The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other sentencing factors. Antelope was detained pending further proceedings.
In court documents, the government alleged that in July 2020 the victim went to Antelope’s house in the Lame Deer area, on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation, for Antelope’s help in fixing a flat tire on a car. After trying to fix the tire, Antelope and the victim went inside the house. The victim was scared because the two had argued the day before. The two exchanged words and then Antelope strangled the victim with his hands. Antelope had strangled the victim on other occasions and made her pass out or feel like she was going to pass out.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case, which was investigated by the FBI.
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