×

Michael Meyers, Minot, sentenced to 185 days time served, probation, for strangling girlfriend unconscious, holding knife to her throat

Michael Gene Meyers, 52, Minot, was sentenced on Wednesday to three years in prison, with all time suspended but 185 days time served, and three years of supervised probation. He had been accused of holding a pocket knife to his girlfriend’s throat and threatening to cut her and later stranging her into unconsciousness on Oct. 5, 2019.

Meyers pleaded guilty Wednesday in district court in Minot to Class C felony domestic violence causing serious bodily injury and Class C felony terrorizing.

Under the terms of a plea deal with the state, language was removed from the charging document stating that Meyers had committed terrorizing with a dangerous weapon that would have required a minimum mandatory prison sentence. Meyers’ lawyer, Kyle Craig, told Judge Todd Cresap that the weapon in question was a small pocket knife. In a case with similar circumstances that went to trial, a jury declined to convict the defendant of the C felony and found him guilty of a lesser charge, said Craig, so the state recognized that there were evidentiary problems with the Meyers case and negotiated the plea deal. “It’s a balancing act,” Craig told the judge.

Meyers received concurrent sentences on three Class A misdemeanor violations of an order prohibiting him from contacting the victim.

Meyers served 162 days in jail and was eligible for an additional 23 days off for his good behavior while he was incarcerated in the Ward County Jail.

Judge Cresap also ordered Meyers to obtain an evaluation for domestic violence offenders and follow through with any recommended treatment and to pay court costs of $1,100. Restitution in the case is reserved for 90 days. Cresap questioned why the state does not have restitution tallied and Craig said it isn’t the fault of the prosecution because the victim has no fixed address and it has been difficult for them to get a total.

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today