Busby man sentenced to prison for strangling woman

BILLINGS  — A Busby man who admitted to strangling a woman while in a vehicle on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation was sentenced today to 22 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.

Tysawn Dantae Pine, 25, pleaded guilty in February to an indictment charging him with strangulation.

U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided.

The government alleged in court documents that Pine and the victim, identified as Jane Doe, had been in a dating relationship. On April 9, 2022, Pine went to Jane Doe’s house at approximately 5:30 a.m. and demanded she open the door. Jane Doe refused and told Pine to leave because he was drunk. Pine then forced his way into the house and demanded she give him a ride to his grandmother’s house. Scared of Pine’s threats, Jane Doe drove him to his grandmother’s house and parked. The two argued inside the vehicle, and Pine began assaulting and strangling Jane Doe. Later that day, Jane Doe was examined for injuries at the hospital.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The FBI and Bureau of Indian Affairs conducted the investigation.

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