BOZEMAN — Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen says people in Gallatin County want him to stop a plea deal for a man accused of assaulting and strangling his now-deceased wife.
According to a social media post, Knudsen stated that "Gallatin Co folks want me to exercise supervisory control in this case to stop this terrible plea deal," adding, "Gallatin County: your County Attorney SUED MY OFFICE over my asserting that same authority in another instance, and it’s now at the MT Supreme Court."
The post follows on the news that Christopher Wardle, who was accused of assaulting and strangling his now-deceased wife, Catherine Sorensen, has been offered a plea deal in Gallatin County.
Last June, Wardle appeared in Gallatin County Justice Court on DUI charges and was accused of violating release conditions tied to a 2022 assault case involving Sorensen.
Prosecutors said Wardle came home intoxicated, assaulted and strangled Sorensen, then allegedly took her phone, broke it and fled the scene. Sorensen was reportedly able to leave the house and get to a neighbor’s home, where police were contacted.
According to court documents, officers found Sorensen with fresh blood and red markings on her neck when they arrived.
Sorensen died in February 2023, a little more than a year after the alleged assault, after being run over by a vehicle near Divide Creek Road in Park County. Wardle reportedly brought Sorensen to the emergency room in Livingston, where hospital staff contacted dispatch to report she had arrived deceased.
That case remains under investigation. Park County Sheriff’s Office officials were unable to provide updates at this time.
On May 21, 2026, Chief Deputy County Attorney Edward Hebb offered Wardle a plea agreement related to the charges involving Sorensen.
Under the agreement, Wardle would plead guilty to tampering with witnesses or informants and violation of an order of protection. All other charges, including strangulation of a partner or family member, would be dismissed.
According to the plea agreement, Wardle would receive a sentence of 2 1/2 years, all suspended, meaning he would not serve time in prison.
The Gallatin County Attorney’s Office declined to comment on the agreement.
“Since sentencing is pending in this matter, we are unable to comment,” the office said in a statement.
A social media post from Catherine Sorensen's family and friends is circulating online, asking people to contact the Montana attorney general and request that the plea agreement be reversed.
Wardle’s sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 6.
This is not the first time the attorney general has clashed with the Gallatin County Attorney's office.
On May 22, 2026, Knudsen urged Gallatin County to collaborate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to detain illegal immigrants following the county's rejection of ICE's request to rent beds at the detention center.
In a letter addressed to Gallatin County officials, Knudsen criticized County Attorney Audrey Cromwell's recommendation against the agreement between the county and ICE, stating that it was based on political motives rather than legal analysis.
WATCH: AG urges Gallatin County to work with ICE
Cromwell responded with this statement: "Gallatin County already participates in the effective federal 287(g) program—which ensures that undocumented individuals charged with a crime in Gallatin County are immediately flagged and held for ICE,” states County Attorney Audrey Cromwell. “Given constitutional concerns regarding due process, significant legal liability, and added strain on overburdened County resources, I stand by my legal opinion which advises the Commission against entering into an additional agreement with ICE to detain non-local undocumented immigrants in the Gallatin County Detention Center. As Gallatin County Attorney, I uphold the law. Nothing about this detention contract makes Gallatin County a safer place to live, work, or go to school—in fact, voluntarily becoming a detention center for ICE to hold non-local individuals not only exposes Gallatin County to significant liability, but also damages relationships within our community, leading to lower rates of crime reporting, witness cooperation, and engagement with victim services."
In April, Knudsen demanded in a letter that Gallatin County share confidential criminal justice information with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, sparking a legal battle over immigration enforcement.
Knudsen's letter to Gallatin County Attorney Audrey Cromwell, dated April 23, 2026, states that Gallatin County claims ICE does not always qualify as a law enforcement agency, contending the federal agency primarily performs civil immigration enforcement functions. Because of this, the county created a policy to restrict the sharing of certain information without a court order.
However, in an April 6, 2026 letter from Cromwell to Knudsen, Cromwell states: "At the onset, I want to be clear: there is no Gallatin County policy - formal or informal - restricting cooperation with federal agencies, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Knudsen says the policy violates Montana law, explaining that ICE is a criminal justice agency in all contexts. State officials noted withholding this information puts the safety of Montanans in jeopardy. Knudsen also pointed out that last year, ICE agents arrested six known members of a Venezuelan criminal organization in Gallatin County.
Knudsen added that the county policy also jeopardizes a national information-sharing system that allows the federal government and states to exchange criminal history records.
Gallatin County had requested a legal opinion on sharing information with ICE, but the state denied that request.
sent a letter to Cromwell demanding she rescind her unlawful policy refusing to recognize ICE as a “criminal justice agency” and share CCJI with them. She has since doubled down on her policy by refusing to do so.
“The cognitive dissonance in your reply is astounding. You have now sworn under oath that there is no policy regarding sharing CCJI with ICE. Yet you also maintain that, under your novel interpretation of Montana law, Gallatin County will not share CCJI with ICE for civil immigration enforcement purposes without a court order. Both things cannot be true,” Attorney General Knudsen wrote.
In a news release, the AG's office stated: "Attorney General Knudsen is exercising limited supervisory control over Cromwell’s office, directing her to share confidential criminal justice information with ICE for all lawful purposes and to produce all documents, records, and communications related to the matter specified in his letter. "
On April 30, 2026, Knudsen invoked supervisory control over Gallatin County Attorney Audrey Cromwell, following her failure to follow the law and issue a memorandum clarifying that Gallatin County may share confidential criminal justice information (CCJI) with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for civil immigration enforcement functions.
On May 4, 2026, Knudsen ordered Gallatin County Attorney Audrey Cromwell to drop a lawsuit against him.
Knudsen sent a letter to Cromwell, invoking his supervisory authority and directing her to dismiss the case.
Knudsen also directed Cromwell to terminate her outside legal counsel at the Graybill Law Firm.
In June, Cromwell asked the Montana Supreme Court to step in.
On June 8, 2026, attorney Raph Graybill, who is representing Cromwell, asked the high court to determine the meaning behind the state law cited by Knudsen when he invoked "supervisory control" over the Gallatin County Attorney's Office in April.
The dispute dates back to last fall, when Cromwell's office sent a letter to local law enforcement regarding cooperation with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. Knudsen cited an email from Cromwell's executive assistant stating that her office "does not legally recognize" as a federal agency eligible to receive confidential information from law enforcement.
Cromwell told the Montana Free Press in a written statement that ICE had requested "nonpublic" information about a person in a civil case, and the county has no "blanket policy" with regards to ICE.
In the filing, Graybill argued that Knudsen was trying to force Cromwell to give incorrect advice, potentially placing the county at risk of severe penalties.
In 2020, Graybill, a Democrat, lost to Knudsen in the race for attorney general.
