Man sentenced to 20 years in prison after multiple domestic violence cases in Idaho
Fourth District Judge Patrick Miller on Wednesday sentenced a man to 20 years in prison because the suspect has repeatedly been convicted of domestic violence.
David Ray Cruse, 44, of Garden City, must serve at least 10 years before he could be eligible for parole because of his persistent violator enhancement.
According the Ada County Prosecutor’s Office, Cruse was charged in June with felony attempted strangulation and felony domestic battery. According to court documents, Cruse battered the victim and when she tried to escape the home, he followed her and carried her back into the residence, where he attempted to strangle her. A neighbor heard the altercation and called police.
He was found guilty by a jury in November of two counts of misdemeanor domestic battery. One of those counts was enhanced to felony domestic battery because Cruse had previously been convicted of felony domestic battery in 2016.
His criminal history also includes felony DUI and felony eluding police. Wednesday’s conviction marks his fifth lifetime felony, according to the prosecutor’s office.
“That is a harsh sentence,” Judge Miller said, according to the news release. “But in my good conscience, based on the record presented to me, do not believe that a different type of sentence would have the ability to protect the public from the behavior that you have engaged in, as represented not only in this case but (the) entirety of the record presented.”
At the end of the sentencing, Miller thanked the neighbor who called police.
“Absent (the neighbor’s) call we might not have heard about this event,” Miller reportedly said at Wednesday’s sentencing. “Given this defendant’s propensity to be able to convince others not to report, this too may not have been reported ... so thank you to the concerned neighbor for taking what must have been a difficult step in calling the police.”
Need help?
The Women’s and Children’s Alliance in Boise is available at 208-343-7025 for victims of domestic violence or online at wcaboise.org.
The Faces of Hope Victim Center is available for victims in need of emergency services at 417 S. 6th St. in Boise. Victims should call 911 in emergencies or call 208-577-4400 on weekdays during business hours. Faces of Hope provides free medical care and forensic examinations for victims, as well as assistance with filing police reports and mental health care after an assault.
Anyone in need of help or who believes they may be in a violent relationship is encouraged to contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233).
This story was originally published January 24, 2020 at 10:44 AM.
