Lake County District Court news for Dec. 24, 2014
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Judge James A. Manley dealt with the following case Wednesday, Dec. 17:
Kenneth Lester Murphy, 44, Kent, Washington, was sentenced to the Department of Corrections for 13 months for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, fourth or subsequent offense, a felony. Additionally, Murphy was sentenced to DOC for two years with all that time suspended, to run consecutive to the 13-month commitment.
According to court documents, charges stem from a July 4 incident where a Tribal officer approached Murphy after watching him pull into the Arlee Powwow grounds. Murphy’s speech was slow and slurred and his breath smelled of an alcoholic beverage. A Montana Highway Patrol officer took over the investigation and Murphy provided a breath sample of .234 on a portable device.
Judge Deborah Kim Christopher dealt with the following cases Thursday, Dec. 18:
Marlene Antiste, 39, Pablo, had her sentence for a felony charge of criminal possession of dangerous drugs deferred for two years; however, the court also provided three additional options: serve 20 days in Lake County Jail, or complete a 20-day in-patient chemical dependency treatment, or complete an extended period of outpatient treatment that addresses methamphetamine addiction.
According to court documents, charges stem from a Feb. 6 incident where Tribal police found methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia in her purse inside of her vehicle. Although she initially denied the drug was hers, she eventually admitted it was meth and she had been using.
Timothy Jay Piedalue, 51, Polson, was sentenced to DOC for 13 months, to be placed in an appropriate program, for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, fourth or subsequent offense, a felony. Piedalue is also committed to five years at DOC or Montana State Prison, all suspended.
According to court documents, on Aug. 1 MHP and Flathead Tribal Police responded to the scene of a hit and run on Highway 93. The Tribal officer located Piedalue at his home two blocks away with a severely disabled vehicle that matched the description of the one that left the scene of the wreck. Piedalue said he had been drinking and knew he was in trouble so he went home to wait for officers. Piedalue showed the officer a half-full bottle of vodka in the vehicle Piedalue was driving, and his breath sample read .409 on the portable breath test unit. Later it read .348 on the Intoxilyzer 8000 unit.
Piedalue’s driving record showed three prior DUI convictions; however, he had been convicted of a fourth DUI two months prior, and that one did not show up in the system, so the charge was initially handled as a misdemeanor.
Patrick Lewis Lozeau, 45, Ronan, per a plea agreement admitted committing the offense of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, fourth or subsequent offense, a felony. The court found Lozeau guilty. Sentencing is set for Jan. 22, 2015.
According to court documents, charges stem from June 6 incident where Lozeau was stopped for driving erratically. An odor of alcoholic beverage was coming from the vehicle. There were several open beer bottles in the vehicle, including the center console. Lozeau became belligerent and insulting towards the officer. He performed poorly on one sobriety test and then refused to perform any more until he was in the presence of a tribal officer. He was taken to Lake County Jail, ad then the hospital for a blood draw to test his alcohol levels. His driving record shows at least three prior DUI convictions.
Theresa Morgan, 43, Ronan, in a change of plea pleaded guilty to theft, a misdemeanor. The court found her guilty and Morgan was sentenced to Lake County Jail for six months, all suspended.
According to court documents, charges stem from an Aug. 15 incident where Morgan stole a white gold ring with diamonds and sapphires from her employer. A video showed Morgan stealing the $2,500 ring in a ring box while working. She admitted stealing the ring and returned it to a Ronan police officer, explaining that said she stole the ring because she was about to be demoted.
Robert Gene Yost, Jr., 48, Dulzura, California, in a change of plea admitted committing the offense of criminal possession of dangerous drugs, a felony. A request for reduction in bond was denied. Sentencing is set for Jan. 29, 2015.
According to court documents, charges stem from an Oct. 29 incident where Yost, Jr., was a passenger in a vehicle pulled over along Highway 93. Methamphetamine was found in a pack of cigarettes that Yost, Jr. said belonged to him. Glass pipes commonly used to smoke methamphetamine and a box of 86 unused syringes with four missing was also found in the vehicle, along with $4,224 in Yost’s possession.
Asa Lehrke, 49, Polson, in a change of plea admitted committing forgery, a felony. The court found Lehrke guilty. He also admitted to allegation of violating probation and parole and had his suspended sentence revoked. Sentencing is set for Jan. 2, 2015.
According to court documents, on March 6 a resident realized that unauthorized checks were being written in his bank account and his checkbook was missing. He had reported a burglary of his residence on Feb. 25. Videos from surveillance cameras showed Lehrke writing checks at stores in Ronan, Polson, Thompson Falls and St. Ignatius. At the time Lehrke was a probation absconder and his whereabouts were unknown. After a warrant was issued for his arrest, Lehrke was arrested Nov. 7, and then appeared in court Nov. 10 and was held on a $50,000 bond.
