{"id":35670,"date":"2026-07-03T09:40:57","date_gmt":"2026-07-03T14:40:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/?p=35670"},"modified":"2026-07-03T09:40:57","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T14:40:57","slug":"ponsford-man-sentenced-in-domestic-assault-case","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/ponsford-man-sentenced-in-domestic-assault-case\/","title":{"rendered":"Ponsford Man Sentenced in Domestic Assault Case"},"content":{"rendered":"<article>\n<h2>Ponsford Man Sentenced in Domestic Assault Case<\/h2>\n<p><strong>PONSFORD<\/strong> (<a href=\"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\">trfnews.i234.me<\/a>) \u2014 Matthew Robert Webster, 26, of rural Ponsford, was sentenced for felony domestic assault in Becker County District Court.<\/p>\n<p>The case followed a reported incident in Waubun on Sept. 8, 2025. Court records describe an argument over a family birthday party.<\/p>\n<p>A woman told police that Webster became angry during the discussion. She said he grabbed her shirt and tore it.<\/p>\n<p>She also reported that Webster tried to strike her face. Court records say he then pushed her to the ground.<\/p>\n<p>The woman and a family member entered a vehicle to get away. They locked the doors while Webster remained nearby.<\/p>\n<p>White Earth police searched the residence after arriving. Officers did not find Webster during the initial search.<\/p>\n<p>A few weeks later, a Becker County deputy saw Webster outside a White Earth residence. The deputy arrested him, according to court records.<\/p>\n<div style=\"text-align: center; margin: 25px 0;\"><!-- Replace MUGSHOT-IMAGE-URL with the image URL from your WordPress Media Library. --><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 100%; height: auto;\" src=\"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Matthew-Robert-Webster.png\" alt=\"Matthew Robert Webster mugshot\" \/><em>Matthew Robert Webster<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Sentencing and penalties<\/h2>\n<p>On May 15, District Judge Michelle Lawson imposed an 18-month state prison sentence. The prison term was stayed for five years.<\/p>\n<p>Lawson ordered Webster to serve 45 days in jail. He received credit for 30 days already served.<\/p>\n<p>The court also imposed a $1,000 fine. Webster must pay another $160 in court fees.<\/p>\n<p>The sentencing order allows Webster to remain outside state prison while meeting probation rules. The stayed sentence lasts through the five-year probation period.<\/p>\n<p>Webster must report to his probation officer as directed. He must also follow every condition set by the court.<\/p>\n<h2>Probation requirements<\/h2>\n<p>Webster was placed on supervised probation for five years. He may not drink alcohol or use drugs.<\/p>\n<p>The court ordered a comprehensive assessment. Webster must follow all recommendations, including any required aftercare.<\/p>\n<p>He must complete a Domestic Abuse Batterer&#8217;s Intervention Program. The program must meet standards set under <a href=\"https:\/\/www.revisor.mn.gov\/statutes\/cite\/518b.02\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Minnesota law<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Webster must also complete cognitive skills training. He must follow any directed cognitive behavioral programming.<\/p>\n<p>The court\u2019s conditions focus on supervision, treatment, and behavior changes. Those requirements remain active during his probation term.<\/p>\n<p>Readers can find court information through the <a href=\"https:\/\/mncourts.gov\/find-courts\/seventh-judicial-district\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Minnesota Judicial Branch<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;m Chris Harper, reporting for <a href=\"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\">TRF News<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A rural Ponsford man received jail time and five years of probation after a felony domestic assault case in Becker County District Court.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":36196,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_wpscp_schedule_draft_date":"","_wpscp_schedule_republish_date":"","_wpscppro_advance_schedule":false,"_wpscppro_advance_schedule_date":"","_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":false,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"","_twitter_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type":"","_pinterest_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"","_medium_share_type":"","_threads_share_type":"","_google_business_share_type":"","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[12],"tags":[1135,871,772,2945,151,9927,2078],"class_list":["post-35670","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-crime","tag-assault","tag-case","tag-crime","tag-domestic","tag-man","tag-ponsford","tag-sentenced","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35670","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35670"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35670\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36197,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35670\/revisions\/36197"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36196"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35670"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35670"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35670"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}