Joliet Mayor Charged with Assault and Strangulation

Joliet, MT Mayor Dakota Z. Mitchem, age 30, has been charged with Partner Family Member Assault, first offense, Partner Family Strangulation, throat/neck, and Assault with a Weapon, according to charging documents dated 12/18/23. The first charge is a misdemeanor, the other two are felonies. It appears that the PFMA charge was amended.

According to a Joliet resident we spoke with today, Mitchem has also been the town's postmaster for several years. He was elected mayor in 2020. According to the Billings Gazette's review of court documents, Mitchem allegedly produced a handgun and placed it under the alleged victim’s chin, in addition to the attempted strangulation.

Mitchem's next court date is January 3rd. We'll update this story if more information becomes available.