Great Falls man sentenced to 31 months for strangulation and child abuse on Rocky Boy’s reservation

GREAT FALLS — A Great Falls man was sentenced Monday to 31 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release for strangling a woman and abusing her 3-year-old daughter on the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation.

Lane Thomas Lamere, 37, pleaded guilty in January to one count of strangulation and one count of felony child abuse. Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided over the sentencing, according to U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme.

The assault occurred on Jan. 12, 2024, when Lamere broke into the residence of a woman who was home with her young daughter. Court documents reveal Lamere dragged the woman to her back bedroom and choked her.

The situation escalated when the 3-year-old child walked into the room during the attack. Lamere grabbed the child’s head and put her in a headlock, refusing to release her even after the mother escaped his grasp.

Desperate to save her daughter, the mother ran to a neighbor’s house for help. The neighbor called police as they rushed back to the residence together.

When they returned, they found Lamere in the bathroom attached to the bedroom on top of the child. The neighbor witnessed him biting the girl on her face, squeezing her, pulling her hair, and covering her nose and mouth.

Both the mother and neighbor attempted to pull Lamere off the child, even striking him with a snow shovel, but he would not let go. Law enforcement bodycam footage captured the neighbor “hysterically crying for help” while Lamere remained on top of the child in the bathroom.

When Lamere refused to follow officers’ commands to release the child, police used a Taser to subdue him. An officer then removed the 3-year-old from beneath Lamere.

EMTs transported both victims to Northern Montana Hospital, where the child received treatment for various contusions throughout her body as well as bite marks on her arm and face.

The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, with the investigation conducted by the FBI and Chippewa Cree Law Enforcement Services.

This prosecution is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a federal program that brings together law enforcement agencies and communities to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer. The Department of Justice launched a strengthened violent crime reduction strategy in May 2021 focusing on fostering community trust, supporting violence prevention organizations, setting strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring results.

The case highlights the ongoing efforts by federal authorities to address violent crimes on tribal lands, where the FBI has jurisdiction over major crimes involving non-Native American defendants.