BOZEMAN — Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen on Wednesday sent a letter to Gallatin County Attorney Audrey Cromwell expressing concerns over a recent plea deal offered to Christopher Wardle, the man accused of assaulting his now-deceased wife.
WATCH: Montana Attorney General Speaks Out About Letter Sent Over Wardle Plea Deal
According to charging documents, Wardle assaulted and strangled his wife, Catherine Sorensen, in 2022.
In 2023, Sorensen died after being run over by a vehicle driven by Wardle in Park County. That case remains under investigation.
On May 21, 2026, Chief Deputy County Attorney Edward Hebb offered Wardle a plea agreement related to assault and strangulation charges.
Under the agreement, Wardle would plead guilty to tampering with witnesses or informants and violating an order of protection. All other charges, including strangulation of a partner or family member, would be dismissed, and Wardle would serve no jail time.
“I see cases like this, and I take them incredibly seriously. Cases like this are hard not to take personally,” said Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen.
Click here to read Knudsen's full letter.
Knudsen said his office was flooded with requests to intervene after news of the plea agreement became public. However, he said his office does not have the authority to step in because the plea agreement is now a signed contract.
“At this point there is not an avenue for my office to get in, intervene, or exercise supervisory control in this matter,” Knudsen said. “At this point the only person who can reject this plea agreement is the district judge.”
Despite that, Knudsen sent a letter Wednesday to Cromwell outlining his concerns.
“What really concerned me here is this doesn’t even amount to a slap on the wrist,” Knudsen said. “I mean this is a multiple PFMA — partner or family member assault — strangulation, and he’s not even going to see the inside of a jail cell.”
Knudsen said in his letter that his concerns extend beyond the Wardle case.
“There seems to be a pattern here of very light sentences, very light plea agreements, or even full-out dismissals,” Knudsen said.
In the letter, Knudsen referenced a public statement from the Bozeman Police Protective Association, which said, “similar plea deals and case dismissals around strangulation have been occurring in our jurisdiction.”
“I’m really concerned about the outreach we’re getting from law enforcement,” Knudsen said. “When you don’t have the trust of your local law enforcement, they’re not going to give you their best.”
At the end of the letter, Knudsen requested a report outlining the county attorney's office's plea bargaining policies, along with a list of domestic violence and partner strangulation cases resolved through dismissals or plea agreements since January 2022. He asked the county to respond by July 31.
“I’m worried about the message it’s sending,” Knudsen said. “If she’s putting out there to domestic abusers that it’s OK to do this type of stuff in Gallatin County, that’s a problem.”
Cromwell responded to a request for comment with a statement that read in part:
“As the Wardle case remains pending before the District Court, Montana law and prosecutors’ Rules of Professional Conduct prohibit me from publicly discussing certain facts or evidence involved.”
