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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Coeur d’Alene man gets 10 years for intimidating victim

A Coeur d’Alene man was sentenced to five to 10 years in prison for repeatedly contacting a woman he was accused of assaulting.

Benjamin Arthur Annaboli, 30, was sentenced Thursday for two felony counts of witness intimidation for disregarding a court’s no-contact order. First District Judge Rich Christensen sentenced Annaboli to 10 years, with parole possible only after five years.

Christensen also sentenced Annaboli on five counts of misdemeanor no contact order violations and one count of misdemeanor domestic battery, to run concurrently to the other charges.

Annaboli was arrested Oct. 9, 2015, on a charge of attempted strangulation, later amended to domestic battery. While in jail he repeatedly called his victim and made statements intended to intimidate and influence her potential testimony as a witness against him, the Kootenai County prosecutor’s office said.

“His blatant disregard of the law made it clear that he would continue to victimize women in the future,” Prosecuting Attorney Barry McHugh said in a news release. “…Especially in the area of domestic violence, someone who is unwilling to change their ways should be incarcerated for the protection of women.”