Kennewick father of 5 sentenced to federal prison for strangling his girlfriend
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- Kennewick man sentenced to prison after strangling girlfriend on reservation.
- Judge cites repeated threats, court order violations and case interference.
- Case aligns with DOJ efforts to address violence in Indian Country communities.
A Kennewick father of five children has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for assaulting and strangling his girlfriend on the Yakama Nation reservation.
Jordan Michael Gunlock, 33, assaulted, threatened and harassed his girlfriend throughout their dating relationship, according to a federal court document. She is an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation.
He also repeatedly threatened to harm or kill her and members of her family if she left him or did not do what he told her, according to Bree Black Horse, assistant U.S. attorney, in a court document.
Gunlock pleaded guilty to assault of a dating partner by strangling or suffocating in Indian Country and assault by striking, beating or wounding in Indian Country.
His attorney, Nick Mirr of Yakima, recommended a prison sentence of one year, but U.S. Judge Mary Dimke handed down the two-year term requested by federal prosecutors. She also sentenced Gunlock to three years probation.
Dimke noted that in one of the arrests that led to the charges in the case, Gunlock was at his girlfriend’s Wapato home in violation of a Washington state court domestic violence protection order. In addition, he had pressured her not to cooperate with state and federal authorities pursuing domestic violence charges against him, according to the Eastern Washington U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The judge noted text messages from Gunlock indicating that he believed if his girlfriend did not show up to court that domestic violence charges against him would be dismissed, according to the prosecution.
The judge indicated she wanted to send a message with the two-year sentence that domestic violence Crimes on the Yakama reservation are taken seriously and that consequences are serious for interfering with the criminal justice system and not respecting court orders, according to the prosecution.
Gunlock admitted in a court document that after he and his girlfriend went into a hotel room at Legends Hotel Casino in Toppenish, he put his hands on her neck and strangled her.
When he stopped, she left the hotel room and was approached by employees who saw her crying and gasping for air in the lobby, according to a court document. Law enforcement were called and Gunlock was arrested.
In a previous incident, the two were at Gunlock’s girlfriend’s home when she moved his jacket from the couch to the floor, leading to an argument that ended with Gunlock grabbing the back of her head and pulling her hair, according to a court document.
He refused to leave her house until she called police, according to a court document.
Gunlock’s attorney argued that his client was the victim of family violence when he was young, but that he is a devoted father to his children.
“Protecting victims and ensuring their safety is a top priority for our office, particularly in cases involving intimate partner violence in Indian Country,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Richard Barker, in a statement.
The case is part of the Department of Justice’s Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons Regional Outreach Program.
The case was investigated by the FBI.