Michael Lewis Wilke, a 40-year-old resident of Butte, has been sentenced to six months in jail after pleading guilty to reckless driving, detaining his girlfriend against her will, and damaging her cell phone. The plea was entered on July 2 in the Fifth Judicial District Court, leading to misdemeanor convictions for assault and tampering with a communication device to prevent medical assistance.

As part of a plea agreement with the Beaverhead County Attorney’s Office, additional charges of criminal mischief and unlawful restraint were dismissed. Initially facing an aggravated assault charge, Wilke’s offense was downgraded to simple assault through the plea deal.

The incident occurred on October 12, 2023, involving a series of distressing events. In court, a statement from the victim described the profound emotional and psychological impact of Wilke’s actions.

“Those traumatic events forever changed my life,” read Kayla Patrick, the county attorney office manager, on behalf of the victim. “It is a daily battle to go outside… I have a fear of going out, a fear of being left behind and lost. I was a very social person, but now I isolate.”

In his defense, Wilke expressed his anger over discovering text messages between the woman and another man, claiming he only wanted to drop her off at home.

“All I wanted was to drop her off at the house so I could get away from her… I wasn’t really happy about anything at that time,” Wilke stated. “It breaks my heart hearing what she just said,” referring to the victim’s statement.

Chief Deputy County Attorney Coty Calvin and defense attorney Walter Hennessey jointly recommended the six-month sentence, indicating that Wilke is also facing other federal charges.

Wilke received six months for each charge, to be served concurrently. The time already spent in jail covered the court fines, and additional court fees were waived.

Judge Luke Berger expressed dissatisfaction with Wilke’s explanation but adhered to the plea agreement, emphasizing the impending federal charges.

“Good luck with that attitude and the feds,” Berger remarked. “I don’t know what federal judge this is under. I guess I will say, if you’re in front of (District of Montana Judge) Don(ald) Molloy and you’re going to act like that, look at your maximum sentence.