Girlfriend beater sentenced to 40 months

An Idaho man will spend 40 months in prison for an assault that took place on the Colville Indian Reservation, a federal judge decided Monday.

Roberto Lewis Doran, 40, an enrolled member of the Coeur d’Alene Indian Tribe, was sentenced after having pleaded guilty in August to “Crime on Indian Reservation - Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury,” a statement from the office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, said Monday.

According to court documents, Doran and his girlfriend had been drinking at a neighbor’s house on the Colville Reservation on Jan. 30, 2019. After returning to their home, Doran assaulted his girlfriend during an argument. She escaped and was aided by her neighbor. The victim, a member of the Colville Tribes, suffered black eyes and multiple bruises in several places on her body and a loss of feeling in her cheeks attributed to nerve damage. She was diagnosed with traumatic brain injury, cervical spine spondylosis and disc herniation.

A Dept. of Justice press release did not name the victim, but noted that Doran has several prior convictions for domestic violence assault and battery.

U.S. District Judge Rosanna Malouf Peterson sentenced Doran to 40 months in prison, which will be followed by three years of court supervision after his release. Originally indicted on one count of assault by strangling and two counts of domestic assault by a habitual offender resulting in substantial bodily harm, Doran pleaded guilty to the single charge, which can carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

“The sentence imposed by the court reflects the serious nature of domestic assault,” U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington William D. Hyslop said.

Hyslop said his office works closely with federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to ensure that “Native American women and families are protected from violence such as this.”

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alison L. Gregoire. It was investigated by the Colville Tribal Police Department and the Spokane office of the FBI.