Ashley Nicole Vondall, Assault, Montana 2017

Driver Sentenced for Running Down Pedestrians in Poplar

A Poplar couple, Ashley Nicole Vondall and Jonathan Damstrom Cantrell, has been sentenced to federal prison for their roles in a brutal assault that left a pedestrian seriously injured.

On October 24, 2017, Cantrell, 33, was driving a Jeep through Poplar with his girlfriend, Vondall, 26, as his passenger. The couple had been drinking and driving around the Fort Peck Indian Reservation when they encountered a group of five people walking down the street, including the person involved in a $100 drug debt dispute with Vondall.

Vondall got out of the Jeep and engaged in a fight with the group before getting back in and yelling, 'Hit them bitches!' Cantrell then turned the vehicle around and plowed through the group, causing multiple injuries and fractures.

The victim was taken to the local hospital and then flown to Billings for further treatment, where they suffered a head injury, collapsed lung, and multiple other injuries.

Vondall and Cantrell each pleaded guilty to assault resulting in serious bodily injury in July. On Wednesday and Thursday, U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris sentenced them to 40 months and 38 months in prison, respectively, along with three years of supervised release.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Betley prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the FBI and Fort Peck Criminal Investigations.

The brutal assault was captured on a nearby surveillance camera, showing the Jeep driving straight at the group and causing multiple pedestrians to fly into the air.

The investigation revealed that Vondall had consumed 14 to 16 cans of Mike's Harder Lemonade on the day of the assault.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-mt/pr/poplar-couple-sentenced-assault-driving-vehicle-group-pedestrians