Probation granted in case

SANDPOINT — An Oldtown man implicated in a violent attack on his girlfriend on Hoodoo Mountain last year was released onto probation on Thursday, 1st District Court records show.

Patrick Allen Geaudreau was ordered to serve three to seven years in prison last fall, although Judge Barbara Buchanan retained jurisdiction over the defendant, also known as a rider.

When a rider is imposed, a defendant spends up to a year in prison before a decision is made to impose the underlying prison sentence or place the person on probation.

Geaudreau, 27, was accused of kidnapping and threatening to kill his girlfriend in May 2016. During the ordeal, Geaudreau attacked her inside a vehicle and twice placed her into a choke hold, according to court documents.

The 28-year-old woman managed to escape the vehicle, but was recaptured and beaten. She also told investigators that Geaudreau would have carried out the death threat if she had not caused a commotion that drew attention.

The woman broke off the attack by fleeing into the vehicle of a passerby.

Geaudreau was charged with first-degree kidnapping, aggravated battery, attempted strangulation and witness intimidation. He also faced a sentencing enhancement for using a set of brass knuckles during the attack.

Geaudreau initially pleaded not guilty, but later entered into a plea agreement that vaporized all but the felony battery and attempted strangulation charges. Geaudreau entered Alford pleas to the surviving charges, which allowed him to profess his innocence while admitting there was enough evidence for the prosecution to gain a conviction.

The Idaho Department of Correction recommended Geaudreau be placed on probation after serving roughly seven months in prison, a recommendation Chief Deputy Prosecutor Shane Greenbank bucked. He argued Geaudreau should be made to serve his underlying prison term due to the brutality of his crimes, court records show.

When pressed by Senior 1st District Judge Steve Verby about how the rider affected him, Geaudreau responded that he enrolled in Alcoholics Anonymous, brought faith into his life and sought to become a better father to his three kids, court records indicate.

Verby ultimately placed Geaudreau on probation for five years, but warned that the company he had previously kept would likely put him onto a path back to prison, according to court documents. Geaudreau vowed that he would “not mess up again,” court records show.

Keith Kinnaird can be reached by email at kinnaird@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow him on Twitter @KeithDailyBee.