ELY – An Ely man pleaded guilty to two felony charges of threats of violence and false imprisonment in St. Louis County District Court in Virginia last week and received three years of probation.

Ryan Savolainen, 40, will face a 13-month prison term, according to the plea arrangement, should he violate probation restrictions. Four other charges, including kidnapping, second-degree assault and two counts of domestic assault were dismissed as part of the deal.

Last October, according to authorities, Savolainen forced an ex-girlfriend to drive to his home and threatened to “kill her and dump her body in the woods.” The victim told police he held a knife to her throat.

The victim previously had a protective order filed against Savolainen. The report said she dropped the order due to threats made by the defendant against her and her daughter.

“I’m out!” Savolainen posted on Facebook last week. “What a freakin’ nightmare and ordeal. If things went really badly I was looking at up to 20 years. So when the prosecution offered to drop four of the six charges and stick me with three years of probation I took the deal. I’m looking forward to the future and not dwelling in the past. As the saying goes, there are two sides to every story.”

Savolainen was also ordered to have a chemical dependency assessment, refrain from using drugs, have no contact with the victim, and register as a predatory offender.