Rathdrum man gets prison sentence for domestic abuse

COEUR d’ALENE — A Rathdrum man will spend up to 20 years behind bars for domestic abuse. 

Andrew R. Smith, 38, pleaded guilty in April to domestic battery in the presence of a child, a felony, as well as two counts of injury to a child and attempted violation of a no contact order, all misdemeanors. 

First District Judge Barbara Duggan sentenced Smith this week to 20 years in prison, the maximum possible sentence, with parole eligibility after seven years. 

The charges stem from February, when prosecutors said Smith punched his wife, causing her to fall down the stairs in their home, and later pushed her out of a moving vehicle. 

Smith also slapped a phone out of his wife’s hand, causing the phone to strike the 2-year-old child she was holding in her arms, and kicked a 12-year-old child in the chest, according to prosecutors. 

At the time of the incident, Smith was on probation for a 2022 case of disturbing the peace. 

After Smith’s arrest in February, a judge issued a no-contact order that forbade him from contacting his wife. However, in early March, prosecutors said Smith attempted to call his wife from jail, violating the order. 

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence or sexual abuse, contact Safe Passage 24/7 by calling 208-664-9303 or texting 208-449-7228.