A Kalispell man who allegedly assaulted his girlfriend in front of her children and tried to break her phone has been charged in Flathead County District Court with one felony count of strangulation and a misdemeanor for criminal destruction of a communication device.
Robert Wayne Snide Jr., 37, was booked into the Flathead County Detention Center on March 24 and was released on March 28 after posting a $40,000 bond.
According to charging documents, Snide began strangling the woman after she tried to kick him out of the house. He told her not to call law enforcement or he would “make her regret it.”
The woman’s children ran out of the house and flagged down an adult, who reported the incident.
When law enforcement arrived, the victim was crying and told deputies she feared for her life. She also complained of neck pain, difficulty breathing and said she thought she was going to pass out.
According to court documents, Snide has a lengthy criminal history in Flathead County, including an assault with a weapon charge for an alleged stabbing, which was dismissed in 2016. He was convicted of felony theft in 2015 for stealing construction equipment and on another felony charge of criminal possession of dangerous drugs in 2016 for possessing benzodiazepines without a prescription. Two orders of protection were also filed by separate individuals who said Snide made violent threats to them in 2015.
Snide faces a maximum sentence of five years in the Montana State Prison and a $50,000 fine. He is scheduled to appear for an arraignment hearing before Judge Amy Eddy in Flathead County District Court on April 5 at 8:30 a.m.