Articles Written By: Caleb M. Soptelean
POLSON – A 29-year-old Ronan man was sentenced last week to 20 years in the Montana State Prison with 15 suspended for sexual assault of a three-year-old girl. Christopher Cox initially said he saw a 13-year-old committing the crime in November 2015, and later said he wasn’t sure but eve...
POLSON – It’s been a while, but Polson Police Department has another bike patrolman. Officer Keith Deetz completed four days of defensive mountain bike training in Bozeman with the Law Enforcement Bicycle Association in late May. His first day on the streets in Polson was May 26, he said...
POLSON – The father of a 3-year-old boy who was killed on Thanksgiving Day last year has sued the young man who took responsibility for the child’s death. Phillip Shourds Sr. and the estate of Phillip Shourds Jr. filed suit on May 26 in Lake County District Court and alleged that Chasen ...
By Caleb M. Soptelean/Valley Journal POLSON – For the third time since 2011, Vaughn David James has defeated a rape charge. James, 44, of Polson, won at trial last week when a 9-woman, 3-man jury voted 10-2 in favor of conviction, resulting in a hung jury and a mistrial. Jury trials require...
POLSON – Polson Schools have adopted a new meals policy along with a slight increase in meal prices. The new meals policy will allow students’ lunch money accounts to fall $15 into the negative before students are given an alternate meal such as a cheese sandwich, veggie sticks, fruit an...
POLSON – A 41-year-old man faces charges of aggravated burglary, theft and misdemeanor criminal mischief for allegedly stealing a vehicle and iPhone from an area residence. Robert James Matt, city unknown, was arrested following a traffic stop in Ronan on Feb. 10 after he allegedly used an axe...
POLSON – After stumbling onto a podcast about child sex trafficking in March 2015, Jill Perkins decided to do something about it. Perkins talked to her family and some friends and was encouraged to proceed. Out of that was born the idea for Fields of Grace Ranch, a non-profit organization that...
POLSON – The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has begun the process for creating a Comprehensive Conservation Plan for the National Bison Range and other conservation lands in Lake and Flathead counties. The initial public meeting was held Tuesday, June 6, at the Red Lion in Polson. Another was ...
POLSON – Lake County residents have seen an average increase of 8 percent or so in their property tax bills during Fiscal Year 2016-17, primarily due to the removal of the former Kerr Dam from the county’s property tax rolls. That’s the word from county finance director Scott Beggs. This...
POLSON – The state’s anti-aquatic invasive species efforts are paying off. On May 21, a boat headed to the Flathead Valley was stopped on the Blackfeet Reservation in Seville and found to have non-native mussel remnants, i.e. byssal threads that mussels use to attach to various objects includi...
