Libby man accused of strangling son

A 39-year-old Libby man faces charges of strangulation of a partner or family member after allegedly putting his hand on his son's neck and causing marks and bruising. 

Joshua Bokor faces up to five years in prison and a $50,000 fine for these charges. He pleaded not guilty to the charge June 3 in Lincoln County District Court, but on July 21, attorneys announced there was a plea deal to an amended misdemeanor charge. A change of plea hearing and sentencing was set for July 28. 

Public defender Maury Solomon, upon behalf of his client, if Bokor could return to his family. Deputy County Attorney Lauren O'Neill had no objection and District Judge Matt Cuffe allowed it, but said Bokor was not allowed to speak to family members about the case.

On May 12, a Libby Police officer responded to a report of an assault that had happened earlier in the day at the Ace Hardware store parking lot in town. He went to the reporting party's residence, where the mother informed officers that their eight-year-old son had been assaulted by their father, Joshua Bokor.

According to the reporting party, the family had gone to a local hardware store to pick Bokor up from work. When the mother went inside, she informed Joshua that their eight-year-old son had been having trouble at school again. Bokor came out of the store and allegedly began yelling at the son and telling him to get out of the car.

The mother said Bokor grabbed the son's neck with his right hand, causing the child to fall backward away from him. Bokor then picked up his son and put him in the vehicle. The mother said she was unsure how Bokor placed the son into the vehicle as she was facing away from them at this point, but said the vehicle did shake when Bokor put him inside. The mother said she thought Bokor either threw the son into the vehicle or stepped into it.

The mother told Bokor to calm down when he got into the car and they drove to his mother's house, where the mother left Bokor.

The Libby Police Officer observed two distinct red marks on the son's neck on the right side and front side near the bottom of the neck. There was discoloration and faint bruising on the front of the neck.

The officer spoke with Bokor at the hardware store, and Bokor told his son to come and talk with him, and then he "instantly lost my (profanity)" and went to grab the son's shirt. According to Bokor, the son lunged forward and Bokor grabbed hold and tightened his hand on the neck. 

Bokor allegedly said as soon as he grabbed his son, he let go and he fell to the ground. Bokor said he put the son in the vehicle and started screaming at the son that he was grounded and if he had any more problems at school like he had been having, Bokor was going to "burn his (profanity)."

Bokor told officers he meant to scare his son and we "wanted to show him what an (profanity) truly is."

Bokor was then placed under arrest.