Veteran who threatened police on reservation gets 5 years probation

PORTLAND — A veteran who threatened police during a seven-hour standoff outside his home on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation will serve no prison time after a federal judge agreed with concerns Wednesday that the isolation and inactivity would jeopardize the man’s recovery from post-traumatic stress disorder.

U.S. District Judge Robert Jones instead sentenced Johnathan Courtney to probation and warned him never to drink alcohol.

In September 2015, police responded to a report that an intoxicated person had fired shots inside the home.

A standoff ensued and at one point, Courtney pointed a 9mm Glock pistol at the Warm Springs police chief and began counting down from three. The chief who was 15 yards away quickly backed off. Courtney later aimed the pistol at a sergeant and accidentally shot a neighbor in the leg during a struggle on the porch.

Courtney pleaded guilty last fall to assault on a federal officer. Assistant U.S. Attorney Hannah Horsley recommended a sentence of 21 months in federal prison.

Courtney had support in the courtroom Wednesday from his wife, parents, members of the tribe and veterans.

Psychologist Suzanne Best testified the former Army Ranger and highly decorated Iraq War veteran has PTSD and suffers from survivor’s guilt because of eight soldiers who died under his command. She said he’s made excellent progress in treatment since the standoff, but would regress in prison.

Though Courtney’s probation lasts five years, Jones noted the high rate of alcohol use on reservations and told the 36-year-old to have a lifetime of sobriety.