Glasgow Man Gets 60 Years in Rape Case

Niko Jondahl, 20 of Glasgow, received a sentence of 60 years with 45 deferred Sept. 4, from District Judge Yvonne Laird after being convicted of sexual intercourse without consent. According to charging documents, Jondahl had sex with a 13-year-old girl at his residence in Glasgow last April.

According to County Attorney Dylan Jensen, Jondahl will likely be eligible for parole after four years at the state penitentiary and after completing the first phase of sex offender training. He will also be required to register as a level one sex offender following confinement. Level one indicates the lowest risk of re-offense to the community, according to the Montana Department of Justice.

In sentencing proceedings, District Judge Yvonne Laird rejected the notion that Jondahl could be treated in the community saying, “When you (Jondahl) committed the crime you were already receiving the best care and therapy the community could provide.”

Laird went on to describe Jondahl’s actions as unacceptable and illegal. She commented that Jondahl had taken advantage of and abused a 13-year-old girl. She also stated, “Punishment needs to be commensurate with the crime committed and the harm caused.” Laird said she rejected the notion that Jondahl posed a low risk of re-offense in the community.

According to charging documents, the victim was supposed to be with friends at church when she was invited to Jondahl’s house. Police later discovered the victim at the residence but did not have enough evidence to investigate. Later, the girl’s mother reported that she had been told by her daughter that she had been raped and a full investigation by the Glasgow Police Department lead to the conviction.

Those same charging documents stated that Jondahl claimed he believed the girl to be 15 years of age. In Montana sexual intercourse with anyone below the age of 16 is illegal and punishable by up to life imprisonment but not less than four years.