Lake County District Court news for Dec. 10, 2014
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Judge James A. Manley dealt with the following cases Wednesday, Dec. 3:
Daniel T. Beavers, 45, Lolo, pleaded not guilty to a felony charge of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, fourth or subsequent offense. An omnibus hearing is set for Jan. 21, 2015 and a jury trial March 16, 2015.
According to court documents, charges stem from an Oct. 4 incident where a vehicle driven on Highway 93 by Beavers was stopped by a Polson Police officer at 12:07 a.m. The officer noticed the odor of an alcoholic beverage, and Beavers initially performed sobriety tests but then quit. Beavers told the officer that he had been drinking. A breath sample indicated Beavers’ blood alcohol concentration was .161 percent, and his driving record showed three prior DUI convictions.
Gene Adams, 25, St. Ignatius, pleaded not guilty to a felony charge of attempted aggravated assault. An omnibus hearing is set for Jan. 21, 2015 and a jury trial March 16, 2015.
According to court documents, a nurse from a local hospital called tribal dispatch to report that a woman was beaten up by her boyfriend, whom the victim stated was Adams. When a tribal officer and a Lake County Sheriff’s reserve deputy interviewed the victim, who was 28 weeks pregnant, the victim told officers that Adams would not allow her to answer a phone call from her cousin, nor was she allowed to text her cousin. Adams allegedly then backhanded her across the face, jumped on her, pushed on her pregnant midsection and choked her throat until she nearly passed out. At one point she flew off the bed, although she couldn’t recall if he pushed her or threw her off. She retrieved her phone and called her mother, then put on her shoes and left.
The victim said Adams had been assaulting her for a year, and this sort of violence had happened about three times.
Sherry Leigh Kohfeld, 25, Elmo, pleaded not guilty to criminal possession of dangerous drugs, a felony. An omnibus hearing is set for Jan. 21, 2015 and a jury trial March 16, 2015.
According to court documents, on Nov. 4 Kohfeld was detained while Polson Police executed a search warrant. A detective searched Kohfeld and found a glass pipe commonly used to ingest methamphetamine and two small bags with what appeared to be methamphetamine inside. Kohfeld stated the substance was methamphetamine and that the pipe was hers, according to court documents.
Judge Deborah Kim Christopher dealt with the following cases Thursday, Dec. 4:
Willamena Billedeaux, 29, Elmo, pleaded not guilty to a felony charge of criminal possession of dangerous drugs. An omnibus hearing was set for Jan. 15, 2015 and a jury trial for Feb. 23, 2015.
According to court documents, charges stem from a Nov. 8 incident where Billedeaux was arrested for public nuisance. She was highly intoxicated and was taken to the tribal jail, where a spoon and a syringe with methamphetamine were found in her purse.
Kateri Tekakawitha Huitt, 34, Polson, pleaded not guilty to assault with a weapon, a felony. An omnibus hearing was set for Jan. 8, 2015 and a jury trial for Feb. 23, 2015.
According to court documents, charges stem from a Sept. 3 incident where Huitt allegedly threw three knives at another female during a verbal argument over the purchase of a washing machine that was too small. Court documents also state that Huitt allegedly knocked the victim out of a chair and then threw knives at the victim as the victim stood outside. Officers noticed broken glass in the entryway of the home and it appeared there had been a physical disturbance.
Huitt had left the scene by the time officers arrived, and a search warrant was issued for her arrest. Huitt was arrested Nov. 16.
Steven Stump, 26, Polson, pleaded not guilty to burglary, a felony.
An omnibus hearing is set for Jan. 15, 2015 and a jury trial for March 9.
According to court documents, charges stem from a Nov. 14 incident where Lake County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a report of a burglary in Pablo and detained Stump. A witness said she saw Stump and two other men kick in the door of the apartment and remove items from it. Stump had a ring in his possession that looked similary to other jewelry from the residence. When questioned by a Lake County Sheriff’s deputy, Stump initially said he had permission to be in the apartment, but later admitted breaking in and taking the items along with two other males. He said the break in was his idea and the others were just helping him.
Roger Cruz, 50, Missoula, in a change of plea, pleaded no contest to burglary, a felony. The court found him guilty, and sentencing is set for Jan. 8, 2015.
According to court documents, charges stem from a Feb. 13, 2013 incident where an employee of a manufacturing company in Ronan called to report a burglary. He said someone had entered a restricted area of the business and cut several phone and computer lines.
The caller said Cruz had been terminated the prior day and had “blown up” during the termination process. When a Lake County Sheriff’s deputy arrived, the caller showed the deputy security camera footage taken about 8:52 p.m. that showed Cruz in the restricted area where the damage had been done. The area is in a closet in a warehouse that closes at 3 p.m., and the caller said nobody should be in the warehouse after that time.
Although Cruz agreed to meet with a Lake County Sheriff’s detective to speak about the incident, Cruz did not show up for the appointment. When the detective attempted to contact Cruz again, Cruz had moved from his apartment and his phone had been disconnected.
