Flathead County Man Charged with Strangulation Pleads Not Guilty
Robert Wayne Snide Jr. faces a maximum sentence of five years in the Montana State Prison and a $50,000 fine
By Maggie Dresser
A Flathead County man who allegedly assaulted his girlfriend in front of her children and tried to break her phone pleaded not guilty Tuesday to one felony count of strangulation and to a misdemeanor for criminal destruction of a communication device.
Robert Wayne Snide Jr., 37, entered the pleas during an April 5 arraignment hearing in Flathead County District Court before Judge Amy Eddy.
According to charging documents, Snide began strangling the woman after she tried to kick him out of the house and 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 was released from Flathead County Detention Center on March 28 after posting a $40,000 bond.
Snide is expected to go to trial in June 2022. If convicted, he could face a maximum sentence of five years in the Montana State Prison and a $50,000 fine.