Lake County District Court news for Nov. 26, 2014
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Judge James A. Manley dealt with the following cases Wednesday, Nov. 19:
Michael Aaron Charlo, 25, Ronan, was sentenced to the Department of Corrections for five years, all suspended, after his deferred sentence for burglary was revoked.
According to court documents, in 2009 Charlo was sentenced to Lake County Jail for one year, all suspended but 15 days, for partner/family member assault, a misdemeanor. For burglary, a felony, the court imposed a three year deferred sentence to run concurrently, with condition that Charlo would also serve 30 days in Lake County Jail for the burglary charge. A report of a violation of probation and parole was filed in 2012; Charlo denied violating the terms, and sentencing was delayed through numerous continued court dates.
Randall Joe Michel, Jr., 27, Ronan, pleaded not guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, fourth or subsequent offense, a felony. An omnibus hearing is set for Jan. 14, 2015 and a jury trial is set to begin March 2, 2015.
According to court documents, charges stem from a Nov. 2 incident where a Polson police officer observed a vehicle driving recklessly on Highway 93. Another officer located the vehicle, saw it pull into the KwaTaqNuk parking lot, and watched Michel leave the vehicle. The officer found Michel in the casino. Michel was on felony probation and appeared intoxicated. Michel provided a breath sample that read .205 on a portable device, but refused all other testing; after getting a warrant, Michel’s blood was drawn at a local hospital and sent to the state crime lab.
Michel’s driving record showed at least three prior DUI convictions.
Karisa Knievel Dooley, 42, Bigfork, in a change of plea admitted committing theft, a felony. The court found her guilty, and set sentencing for Jan. 7, 2015. She was released to visit adult probation and parole.
According to court documents, charges stem from a burglary reported to the Lake County Sheriff’s office on March 21 where Dooley stole from a residence a map with coins, about $2,000 in cash, coins in a large jar, 20 pieces of silver, a belt buckle, and a jewelry box with about 75 pairs of earrings worth $500. The total value of the items stolen was $7,685.
Judge Deborah Kim Christopher dealt with the following cases Thursday, Nov. 20:
Asa Lehrke, 49, Ronan, pleaded not guilty to forgery by common scheme, a felony. Lehrke also denied allegations that he violated terms of probation and parole for a 2012 sentence for felony theft. An omnibus hearing and adjudication hearing for revoking his suspended sentence is set for Dec. 18; a jury trial is set for Jan. 26, 2015.
According to court documents, charges date back to Feb. 25, after a man reported a burglary at his residence. About two weeks later, the man realized his checkbook was missing and unauthorized checks were being written on his bank account. A Lake County detective reviewed surveillance from cameras of stores in Polson, Ronan, Thompson Falls and St. Ignatius where the checks were written and identified Lehrke as the one allegedly writing the unauthorized checks. At the time, Lehrke was a probation absconder and his whereabouts were unknown. A warrant was issued for his arrest on Aug. 25; Lehrke was arrested Nov. 10 and held on $50,000 bond.
Bambi Ann Waugh, 35, Polson, pleaded not guilty to criminal possession of dangerous drugs, a felony. An omnibus hearing is set for Dec. 18 and a jury trial for Jan. 9, 2015.
According to court documents, a Polson police officer executed a search warrant on Waugh’s home and found a glass container with suspected methamphetamine, several pipes for ingesting meth and two burned straw sections used to hold small amounts of meth; one section was in Waugh’s wallet with her identification. One straw held meth, the other was opened and only had residue. Waugh admitted the meth was hers and that she also distributes to support her habit and make extra money.
Because the jail was full, Waugh was booked and released. The state crime lab positively identified the substance as methamphetamine. A warrant for her arrest was issued Aug. 12 and Waugh was arrested Nov. 12 and held on a $50,000 bond.
Damen Leo James, 21, Polson, pleaded not guilty to theft, a felony. An omnibus hearing was set for Jan. 29, 2015, and a jury trial for March 9, 2015.
According to court documents, charges stem from an Oct. 16 incident where a man reported more than $6,000 in tools were stolen from his work truck in Polson. After a pawn shop reported some suspicious tools, a Polson police officer located several of the stolen items, then spoke to James, who eventually told the officer he stole the tools from a work truck for the thrill of it and intended to pawn them for money. James also showed the officer more stolen tools in his garage. The officer estimated the value of the recovered tools was $2,000.
Jacob Paul Ephriam Harteis, 24, homeless, pleaded not guilty to arson, a felony. An omnibus hearing is set for Jan. 8, 2015; a jury trial is set to begin Feb. 23, 2015.
According to court documents, charges stem from an Oct. 28 incident where Harteis was seen fighting with his ex-girlfriend, accusing her of having relations with another man. Harteis said he would burn down her house, and 20 minutes after the female left her home, her house was on fire.
A neighbor told a Lake County Sheriff’s deputy that he saw a man near the home before the fire, and that the man traded four cigarettes for a lighter. The neighbor left for the store, and when he returned, the victim’s house was on fire.
Around 10 p.m. Harteis asked his nephew for a ride from near the scene of the fire. When the nephew noticed the house on fire, Harteis ducked down, hid in the car, and demanded the nephew get him out of there and hurry up, according to court documents.
A preliminary report from the State Fire Marshall indicates the fire was human caused.
Levi Ted Clatterbuck, 33, Ronan, pleaded not guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, fourth or subsequent offense, a felony. An omnibus hearing is set for Jan. 29, 2015, and a jury trial is set to begin March 9, 2015.
According to court documents, charges stem from an Oct. 25 incident where a Polson police officer saw a vehicle traveling 85 mph in a 50 mph zone on Highway 35 around 1 a.m. The vehicle passed the officer and then drifted into the wrong lane, driving east in the westbound lane at a high rate of speed.
The officer stopped the vehicle and noted an odor of alcoholic beverage and marijuana. The driver, Clatterbuck, slurred his speech and his eyes were glossy. He admitted having a little bit to drink, and said he was just trying to get home. He refused sobriety tests, but a warrant was obtained to draw a blood test, which was sent to the state crime lab.
Clatterbuck’s driving record showed he had at least three prior DUI convictions.
Timothy Jay Piedalue, 51, Polson, per a plea agreement admitted committing the offense of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, fourth or subsequent offense, a felony. Sentencing is set for Dec. 18.
According to court documents, charges stem from a Sept. 12 incident where at 3:44 p.m., a citizen knocked on the door of the Ronan Police Department and told an officer that Piedalue was staggering drunk, just got into a silver car, and was going to kill somebody.
The officer located Piedalue driving over the fog line and center line of Highway 93 in Ronan, and attempted to pull him over. Piedalue would not pull over until the officer pulled alongside and gestured to him to pull over. Piedalue pulled into a parking lot.
When the officer asked how much he had to drink, he replied “enough” and said he was “on condition” from Tribal Court and was not to be consuming alcohol. Piedalue refused testing and would not provide a breath sample. The officer located two vodka bottles in the car; one was empty and the other partially empty. His driving history shows at least three prior DUI convictions.
Michael Trombley, 27, Missoula, in a change of plea admitted committing the offense of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, a felony. The court found Trombley guilty and set sentencing for Dec. 18. Trombley also admitted to violating conditions of probation and parole.
According to court documents, charges stem from June 2012 incident where a Lake County Sheriff’s deputy was alerted to watch for vehicle in the Ronan area, which was believed to be stolen from Missoula. The deputy located a vehicle that matched the description and saw it run a red light at Eisenhower Street and Highway 93. After he pulled the vehicle over, the driver, Trombley, said he had permission to drive the vehicle and go to Ronan. Trombley appeared to be under the influence of alcohol, and he admitted he had been drinking. The owner of the vehicle was contacted; she said she gave Trombley the keys so he could get something out of her car. At 1 a.m. she realized her car was missing, and called Trombley. He said he’d be right back, but at 9 a.m. the car was still missing, so she reported it to the Missoula Police Department.
The value of the car, according to Kelley Blue Book, exceeds $1,500.
