St. Ignatius man sentenced for peace officer assault

William G. Rossbach, of St. Ignatius, was sentenced April 1 to 14 years at the Montana State Prison on one count of assault on a peace or judicial officer, a felony. He received credit for 322 days served.

District Court Judge James Manley’s judgment included a parole restriction imposed for the first ten years of the sentence, citing “at least 13 convictions involving assault, obstructing an officer, or resisting arrest, and numerous prior felony convictions” to label the defendant “a violent offender and a serious danger to the community.”

Rossbach’s original trial in December 2019 resulted in a “hung” jury that was unable to reach a unanimous conclusion.

A second jury in a February 2020 trial found him guilty of hitting tribal officer T.J. Haynes as he resisted arrest in St. Ignatius, suspected of possessing a stolen bicycle.