Lake County District Court news for Aug. 20, 2014
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Judge James A. Manley dealt with the following cases Wednesday, Aug. 13:
David Wayne Ingraham, 49, Polson, pleaded not guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, fourth or subsequent offense, a felony.
An omnibus hearing is set for Wednesday, Oct. 1 and a jury trial is set to begin Monday, Nov. 17.
According to court documents, charges stem from a June 6 incident where a Polson Police officer responded to a report of a black Toyota driving northbound in the southbound lane of Highway 93 on Polson Hill, about 8:30 p.m.
The officer located the vehicle in the Safeway parking lot, where several people were pointing in the vehicle’s direction. Ingraham was in the driver’s seat with the keys in the ignition. He admitted to the officer that he had been driving in the wrong direction on Polson Hill, and that he had consumed about a fifth of vodka in Ronan while watching a baseball game. Ingraham’s breath sample, taken at the Lake County Jail, showed his blood alcohol concentration was .207. His driving record showed at least three prior DUI convictions.
Barbara Jean Kortum, 62, Hamilton, pleaded not guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, fourth or subsequent offense, a felony. An omnibus hearing is set for Sept. 24 and a jury trial is set to begin Nov. 17.
According to court documents, charges stem from a July 2 incident where a Montana Highway Patrol trooper stopped a vehicle driven by Kortum at about 12:30 p.m. on Highway 93. The trooper had observed Kortum pass another vehicle in a no-passing zone. Kortum’s breath smelled of alcohol, and a portable breath test indicated her BAC was over the legal limit. She said she had “a little bit” of alcohol. At the Lake County Jail, Kortum’s breath sample read .119 BAC. She told officers that she had consumed a 24-ounce beer and had taken prescription medication, which increased her level of impairment.
Kortum’s driving record showed three prior DUI convictions.
Harry Paul Lozeau, 52, Ronan, in an omnibus hearing, had his trial date continued from Sept. 24 until sometime in January due to his attorney, Randi M. Hood, starting a trial in Havre Sept. 23 for a defendant that has been in jail since November 2013. Lozeau retained Hood on June 27.
Lozeau is being held on charges of deliberate homicide and assault with a weapon, both felonies, for a June 14 incident where he allegedly fatally shot his brother Terry over a disagreement involving a truck.
Clark Alan Dibble, 43, Ronan, in a change of plea admitted committing the offense of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, fourth or subsequent offense, a felony. The court found Dibble guilty, and sentencing is set for Sept. 17.
According to court documents, charges stem from a May 18 incident where a Lake County Sheriff’s deputy responded to reports of a tan van driving all over the roadway on Highway 93 a little after 8 p.m.
The van was located at Town Pump in Ronan, where two witnesses told the deputy that the Dibble, the driver of the van, was “hammered.” Dibble was sitting in his van and nearly fell out of the vehicle when the deputy opened the door. Although Dibble showed several signs of intoxication, he was uncooperative and resisted being detained. At the jail, he refused to provide a breath sample but submitted to a blood test at Providence St. Joseph’s Hospital, which was sent to the state crime lab.
Dibble’s driving record showed at least three prior DUI convictions.
