Kevin Murphy, Leader Correspondent
A Neopit man who attacked his girlfriend with a hammer last fall was sentenced this week in federal court to four years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release.
Scott A. Rettler, 45, pleaded guilty in January to an assault that caused substantial bodily injury in an Oct. 14 attack on a woman he was dating, according to court records. He has been in custody since Nov. 19.
The woman, identified in documents only as E.W., told Menominee Tribal Police that she was lying on a bed at Rettler’s Knot Landing Drive residence when he hit her on the lower back with something that caused her extreme pain, later identified as a hammer. E.W. said Rettler terrorized her for about 30 minutes, yelling at her, kicking her, smashing her phone and throwing the pieces at her, smashing a hole in a door with the hammer and punching a hole in a wall with his fist.
When Rettler began banging dishes in the kitchen, E.W. opened a bedroom window, pushed out the screen and jumped out, according to court documents. She went to a neighbor’s house, phoned police and hid in a bathroom until they arrived.
When interviewed again on Dec. 4, E.W. said she still had tremendous pain in her lower back and right leg and was unable to do everyday tasks. She also delayed physical therapy due to pain issues and was prescribed Vicodin for it.
E.W. is a Native American. Rettler is a member of the Stockbridge-Munsee tribe. Both of them live on the Menominee Indian Reservation, giving federal authorities jurisdiction over the case.
Rettler faced a maximum of five years in prison. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Whittemore recommended a sentence at the top of the guidelines, noting that Rettler used a deadly weapon.
Whittemore said he recommended a five-year sentence because “of the severity of the offense and his prior criminal record.”
District Judge William Griesbach’s sentence factored in Rettler’s six prior OWI convictions, the use of a deadly weapon, the substantial bodily injury and his guilty plea.
Griesbach also gave E.W. 90 days to seek restitution from Rettler for expenses she incurred related to the attack.
A call to Rettler’s attorney, Krista Halla-Valdes, was not returned by deadline.