Dodson man with history of domestic violence sentenced to federal prison

GREAT FALLS, Mont. — A Dodson man who violently assaulted several victims on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation was sentenced to five years in prison, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced in a release.

James "Jimmy" Has The Eagle, Jr., 41, pleaded guilty in December 2025 to one count of aggravated burglary, one count of assault with a dangerous weapon and one count of domestic assault by a habitual offender.

On July 17, 2024, Has The Eagle beat and kicked a woman repeatedly along with pushing her out of a moving truck.

When she regained consciousness, she went into a house and locked the door. Has The Eagle tried to get inside a few minutes later, eventually kicking the door in. The woman tried to hide, but he found her in the bathroom closet.

As he was screaming that he would kill her, Has The Eagle wrapped a yellow extension cord around the woman's neck and was strangling her. He was screaming with the cord wrapped around both of their necks, yelling that he was going to kill both himself and her, court documents said.

The woman suffered significant injuries to her eyes, head and face.

About a week before that assault, the U.S Attorney's Office said Has The Eagle violently assaulted another woman and their child in a vehicle on their way to Hays on July 11, 2024.

The woman pulled the vehicle over and Has The Eagle dragged the child across the pavement. The woman went to help the child, but when she opened the door, he hit her in the eye, face, head and shoulder with tire chains.

Prior to these assaults, Has The Eagle had been convicted of at least four domestic assaults, the U.S Attorney's Office added.