Montana man charged with choking, punching wife

A Montana man is facing charges he choked and punched his wife during an incident last month in the Bull Lake area.

Todd Dean Goodrich, 57, is facing one felony count of strangulation of a partner or family member and one misdemeanor count of partner or family member assault, first offense. Goodrich pleaded not guilty to both offenses at his arraignment on Oct. 3 in Lincoln County District Court.

According to the charging document filed by Lincoln County Deputy Attorney Jeffrey Zwang, county Sheriff’s Deputy Brandon Huff wrote that he was advised by dispatch of a 911 call at 7:59 p.m. on Sept. 14 from a cell phone at a location south of Libby. Several more calls were received before a dispatcher could speak with the alleged victim, Goodrich’s wife. She told a dispatcher she needed to talk to law enforcement about being assaulted by her husband, Todd Goodrich, the night before.

Huff wrote that he located the car the woman was in at the Kootenai Falls parking area. She left the vehicle and Huff spoke to Goodrich, who was sitting in the driver’s seat, according to the court document. When Huff asked Goodrich why his wife was making 911 calls, he allegedly said it was about the previous night and she had decided to report it.

According to Huff’s report, Goodrich told the deputy that his wife was afraid he was going to do something to her again. Goodrich told Huff that there was too much alcohol and there was a fight. When Huff asked Goodrich if it got physical, he allegedly said yes.

In the Huff’s report, Goodrich allegedly said his wife’s mouth started the fight. He allegedly said he hit his wife in the face with an open and closed hand, never full power, but “definitely way more than she deserved.” Huff wrote that Goodrich said he was ashamed and that if she wants him arrested for it, then he will be arrested for it, according to the court document.

When Goodrich’s wife returned to the car, Huff wrote that both of her eyes were blackened in a manner consistent with having been hit in the face. Huff wrote that he wanted to keep the two people separated and she finally walked to his patrol car.

When Deputy Ben Fisher arrived at the parking lot, Huff spoke with the alleged victim. She said, “Last night Todd beat the (profanity) out of me.” She said they had been married for 30 years and he had never done that before. She said he was hitting her and choking her. She told Huff she had seen a doctor that day for her breast cancer and they told her to get rib X-rays. She also told Huff that Goodrich tried to punch her in the face, but she blocked it with the back of her hand, according to the court document. Huff wrote that the back of the woman’s hand was swollen and bruised.

She also said she tried to run away, but Goodrich allegedly grabbed her hair and pulled her back. When Huff asked the alleged victim how it started, she said she didn’t know. She said they had been drinking vodka and tonics and Todd just kept drinking. She said they began arguing about past events.

Huff also wrote that the woman showed him her neck and he could see red marks, primarily on the right side. She told Huff she tried to escape to the neighbor’s house, but Goodrich grabbed her hair, pulled her back and “beat the (expletive) out of me” as she made a downward punching motion, according to the court document.

Huff, according to his report, asked the alleged victim if there was a history of violence and she said, “no.” She also said she was afraid of him and then explained about some of the pressures and events in their life that may have led up to the fight.

Huff wrote that he spoke to Goodrich and he allegedly said he grabbed her by the throat to keep her back from him. He said his “intent was never to really hurt her, I’m sorry, but I did.”

Huff wrote in his report that he needed two sets of handcuffs for Goodrich due to his large stature. Huff asked Deputy Fisher to take the alleged victim home because she had been drinking, give her a victim’s packet and rights form and photograph her injuries. Huff then took the defendant to the county jail.

Goodrich’s next court hearing is scheduled for Dec. 19.

The maximum penalty for strangulation of a family member is five years in the Montana State Prison. For misdemeanor partner or family member assault, the maximum is one year in the county jail.