A dentist in Louisiana who pleaded guilty to attacking and strangling a woman until she lost consciousness was sentenced on October 22 to a maximum sentence of 17 years of hard labor, according to multiple news stories.
A hard labor sentence means that Dr. John Allen Russ, 39, of Shreveport, LA, will serve his time in the custody of the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections. His sentence was based on the likelihood of committing violent acts again, according to the stories.
In August, Russ pleaded guilty to domestic abuse battery with serious bodily injury, domestic abuse battery by strangulation, and domestic abuse battery with child endangerment. Russ, of the now-closed Russ Dentistry in Shreveport, was taken into custody after pleading guilty.
In May 2024, at a residence that Russ and a woman shared, he became enraged and attacked her. Russ reportedly pulled the woman from a bed and forced her against a door while strangling her. He purportedly lifted her by the neck, preventing her from breathing.
The woman feared for her life. She broke free from Russ, but he allegedly grabbed her by the head and slammed her into a dresser. The woman lost consciousness. When she woke up, she was bleeding from her forehead. Two children under the age of 13 were inside the residence during the incident.
During the investigation, police learned that Russ reportedly committed other violent acts against the woman, but she was too scared to report them.
