GREAT FALLS — Lewis Leon Bryson has been charged with raping a woman in Great Falls.
Police officers responded on Saturday to a report of a man - later identified as Bryson - spraying a naked woman with a hose while she was screaming. When officers arrived, they saw Bryson sitting in his backyard drinking alcohol, and saw a woman lying on her right side, unresponsive on the ground at his feet, soaking wet, with a blanket draped partially over her body.
Bryson refused to give his name or identification, and refused to tell the officer the woman's name. He was arrested for disorderly conduct and obstructing a peace officer.
Medical personnel arrived to treat the woman, who was very emotional and crying, and said she was in extreme pain. She said she was scared of Bryson and didn't want officers to leave her alone with him. Court documents state that her upper lip was swollen and bleeding, and she had several bruises on her upper body (shoulders, back of her neck, arms, and ribs). She said that Bryson raped her. She told police that they were not dating; she had just met him and he had invited her to his house for some drinks. She was then taken to a hospital for treatment of her injuries.
Court documents state that due to the "serious and violent nature" of this incident, prosecutors requested that bond be set at $100,000. Bryson is a Level 3 on his Pretrial Public Safety Assessment, which is the highest level.
Court documents state that Bryson has a conviction in Nevada for Assault on a Law Officer, and in Montana, he has been previously charged with Assault with a Weapon, which was reduced to a Criminal Endangerment. He has convictions for Disorderly Conduct, Obstructing a Peace Officer, Obstructing a Peace Officer, Criminal Trespass to Property, Resisting Arrest, and Disorderly Conduct.
Bryson has been charged with the following:
- COUNT I: SEXUAL INTERCOURSE WITHOUT CONSENT, a Felony, in violation of M.C.A. S 45-5-503(1). A person convicted of sexual intercourse without consent shall be punished by life imprisonment or by imprisonment in the state prison for a term of not more than 20 years and may be fined not more than $50,000.
- COUNT II: DISORDERLY CONDUCT, a Misdemeanor, in violation of M.C.A. S 45-8-101(1)(h). A person convicted of this offense shall be fined an amount not to exceed $1,000 or be imprisoned in the county jail for a term not to exceed 1 year, or both
- COUNT III: OBSTRUCTING A PEACE OFFICER OR OTHER PUBLIC SER\ANT, a Misdemeanor, in violation of M.C.A. S 45-7-302. A person convicted of this offense shall be fined an amount not to exceed $500 or be imprisoned in the County jail for a term not to exceed 6 months, or both.
