A Babb man who admitted to assaulting his former romantic partner on three separate occasions within a year on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation was sentenced Thursday to four years and six months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, according to a U.S. Attorney’s Office news release.
Zachary James Cassidy, 33, in June pleaded guilty to assault resulting in serious bodily injury and two counts of assault of a dating partner resulting in substantial injury before Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris.
According to court documents, Cassidy and the victim were in a romantic relationship between March 2022 and January 2023 and he assaulted her on three separate occasions in that timeframe.
In June 2022, Cassidy and the victim were at a bar in St. Mary when Cassidy became upset, causing him to assault the victim in the bar and drag her outside as he continued to assault her. He then dragged the victim to a truck and drove to his residence where the assault continued. When the victim woke up on the couch, she was alone and immobile and had to be carried to a car when she was found, according to documents.
The victim received medical treatment for multiple injuries the following day and she returned to the hospital a month later for a followup.
In August, Cassidy assaulted the victim again, which required more medical treatment, at his residence. When a friend sought to intervene, Cassidy assaulted the friend and threatened to shoot her for trespassing.
A third assault occurred on Jan. 9, 2023 as the couple was driving toward Babb. A neighbor witnessed the assault and called law enforcement, which resulted in a standoff between Cassidy and officers and ended with the use of chemical agents.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kalah A. Paisley prosecuted the case. The FBI, Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services and Glacier County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the U.S. Border Patrol, conducted the investigation.