Troy man gets suspended sentence in assault case against spouse

A Troy man accused of several felonies in 2022 pleaded guilty to some of the offenses Monday in Lincoln County District Court.

Joshua Michael Glaese, 39, was accused of attacking his wife and spraying her with a fire extinguisher last summer and then jailed on Christmas Eve for allegedly driving drunk.

Glaese pleaded no contest to criminal endangerment in the domestic violence case and guilty to misdemeanor DUI, third offense, in the DUI case.

Glaese received two suspended sentences in the cases from District Judge Matt Cuffe. In the assault case, Glaese received a 5-year suspended sentence. He must pay restitution of $741. In the DUI case, he was sentenced to one year, with all except 30 days suspended.

Cuffe ordered Glaese to complete an alcohol treatment class by Aug. 14. The restoration of his driving privileges are up to the state. Glaese was also fined $2,500, but he received a jail time credit of $2,000.

He was released from the county jail earlier this week.

Glaese was charged with felony DUI, fourth offense, and booked into the Lincoln County Detention Center after the Dec. 24, 2022, incident. At his arraignment on Jan. 23, Glaese appeared with his public defender, Ben Kolter, and pleaded not guilty.

According to the charging document, county Deputy Ben Fisher responded to a call just past midnight on Christmas Eve of a vehicle stuck in a snow bank near Town Pump in Troy. When Fisher arrived, he spoke to Glaese and could smell alcohol on his person. The officer also wrote in his report that Glaese’s speech was slurred and he had watery eyes.

Fisher said Glaese allegedly refused to give a breath sample after two separate requests. Fisher reported getting a warrant for a blood sample from the defendant, which he did. Fisher reported that Glaese had three previous DUI convictions in 2013 in Arizona.

The arrest prompted the Lincoln County Attorney’s Office to file a motion to revoke his release on bond from the assault case. Part of Glaese’s terms of release were that he not use alcohol or drugs. Glaese’s bail is now set at $150,000, according to court documents.

In the original case, Glaese pleaded not guilty on Aug. 29, 2022, to one felony count of assault with a weapon and one misdemeanor count of partner or family member assault, first offense, in Lincoln County District Court.

Glaese was in court on Oct. 31 with his attorney, Sean Hinchey, for a hearing to determine the length of a potential trial and also to request permission to leave Montana from Nov. 2 to Nov. 11.

District Judge Matt Cuffe granted Glaese’s request, but also had a few words for the defendant.

“Don’t contact me, you have an attorney, have him contact me,” Cuffe said.

Cuffe’s statement was in response to a letter Glaese wrote to the judge on Oct. 12. In part, Glaese said he was homeless, that he never harmed the alleged victim and that, “the truth will come out in court.”

Court documents indicate Glaese will argue justifiable use of force if his case goes to trial.

Glaese, who posted $100,000 bail on Aug. 22, also faced a petition to revoke his release. Glaese was accused of leaving the state without permission and for going to his former residence on Oct. 8, which could have been a violation of the order of protection Cuffe issued on Sept. 19. It remains in effect until June 20, 2023.

According to court documents, Glaese said he went to Florida to live with his sister while he worked on a plan to live in Libby. He also believed his wife had left the home and when law enforcement told him to leave, he did.

Ultimately, Cuffe dismissed the petition to revoke his release on bond.

Part of Glaese’s terms of release include not possessing any weapons and he is also not allowed to have any contact with the alleged victim.

According to the charging documents, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office Captain Boyd White met with the alleged victim on the afternoon of Aug. 15 at the sheriff’s office. The woman said her relationship with Glaese has been very rough. She said Glaese is an alcoholic, he is violent when he drinks, but he drinks every day.

She said the previous day, Aug. 14, was Glaese’s birthday. She said everything was fine until he returned home from drinking at bars in the Yaak with a man named Clayton. She said Clayton lives in their house, but she didn’t know his last name.

The woman also explained that the residence consists of an unfinished house and a camper trailer. She said she stayed in the camper with her young daughter. She also said during their 10-year relationship, he has been emotionally abusive, according to court documents.

She said when he returned to the property at 2 a.m. on Aug. 15, he entered the camper, turned on the lights and began yelling at her. She said she went outside, put on a submissive front in an effort to deescalate Glaese and get him away from their daughter. She said after they argued, he allegedly stomped on her foot and hit her in the back of the head.

The woman said she ran to the camper and fought with Glaese to get the door closed while he allegedly tried to grab her and drag her out. She said she considered calling 911 but decided it would be safer to not call and work to deescalate the situation after he allegedly made a comment to the affect of “Find out what happens if you call the police.”

She also said Glaese has begun to threaten to shoot her on a weekly basis. During the incident, she said heard him outside say something like “Come outside and see what I got for you,” and then she heard a gunshot. She said she heard two more gunshots over the next five minutes. She also said recorded portions of the incident. The alleged victim also told White that Glaese has repeatedly threatened to kill her.

She described his gun as a “Cowboy 6 shooter” and that he had accidentally shot himself awhile back and she believed it was the same gun.

She also said Glaese recently sprayed her with a fire extinguisher when she tried to enter the house. She also said a few days after that incident, she was sitting on a couch in the house when he turned it over. When the couch landed on the extinguisher it sprayed the rest of the chemical inside the residence.

The alleged victim also told White that a few years ago he allegedly unloaded the gun in front of her, pointed it at her and pulled the trigger multiple times.

White wrote in his report that the woman was emotional and cried at times while describing the events from the morning of Aug. 15. She said she was in fear for her life and the life of her child.

Glaese had faced a maximum sentence of 20 years in the Montana State Prison.