Lake County District Court news for Feb. 11, 2015
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Judge James A. Manley dealt with the following cases Wednesday, Feb. 4:
Marissa Marie Longtree, 23, Ronan, pleaded not guilty to assault on a peace or judicial officer and partner or family member assault, both felonies. An omnibus hearing is set for March 18 and a jury trial is set to begin May 4.
According to court documents, charges stem from a December 29, 2014 incident where a Ronan police officer responded to a complaint of noise from a downtown apartment. Longtree and her mother were asked to leave because visitors are not allowed after 10 p.m. Once outside, Longtree began to raise her voice and use profanities, and was highly confrontational and verbally abusive to her mother.
In the role of a Ronan taxi driver, the police officer took the mother to her own home. The mother then asked the officer to find Longtree and take her home.
The officer found Longtree and drove her to the home, but when they arrived, Longtree asked if she could just go inside and get some items and then return to Ronan. As the officer waited, another woman came outside to tell the officer that Longtree was inside assaulting Longtree’s mother.
When the officer entered, he found Longtree’s daughter crying and Longtree leaving a bedroom where her mother was lying on the bed, crying, with blood on her lips. Longtree stated she had hit her mother. Longtree told the officer she would leave the residence, but instead she turned and attacked her mother again.
The officer removed Longtree from the mother, and as he was attempting to place Longtree in handcuffs, she freed her hands and attacked the officer with her fists, hands, and both of her knees.
Ann Louise Gieber, 41, Polson, pleaded not guilty to criminal possession of dangerous drugs, a felony. An omnibus hearing is set for March 18 and a jury trial is set to begin May 4.
According to court documents, charges stem from a Jan. 18 incident where Gieber was stopped for a traffic infraction. The Montana Highway Patrol trooper had consent to search the vehicle, and found several small bags with white powdery residue that was suspected to be methamphetamine, plus a glass pipe and a syringe with residue. She admitted the syringe was hers and that she used methamphetamine a few days prior.
After she was taken to Lake County Jail, two more baggies of suspected methamphetamine were found on her.
Richard Bleick, 46, Ronan, pleaded not guilty to criminal possession of dangerous drugs, a felony. In another matter, Bleick was found to have violated terms of his probation and parole and his previously three-year deferred sentence for criminal possession of dangerous drugs was revoked. An omnibus hearing for the new charge, with sentencing on the revocation, is set for March 18. A jury trial is set to begin May 4 for the new charge.
According to court documents, on Jan. 22 Bleick was detained by a Polson police officer who searched Bleick’s vehicle and found a glass pipe, a syringe, and a small baggie of suspected methamphetamine. The items were sent to the crime lab for identification.
Taija Rae Collier, 27, Polson, in a change of plea admitted committing the charge of criminal possession of dangerous drugs, a felony. The court found her guilty, and sentencing is set for March 11.
According to court documents, charges stem from a May 2013 incident where Collier was stopped after a brief pursuit while driving a stolen vehicle on the National Bison Range in Moiese. Because her passenger was on probation, officers searched the vehicle after being authorized to do so. A pack held Collier’s identification card, plastic bags with methamphetamine residue and one with methamphetamine, and drug paraphernalia. Collier told a Lake County sheriff’s deputy that she had used meth within the past few days, but the drugs and paraphernalia inside her pack did not belong to her.
Matthew Lawrence Mahkuk, 35, St. Ignatius, in a change of plea admitted committing the offense of criminal possession of dangerous drugs, a felony. Sentencing is set for March 11.
According to court documents, a Lake County Sheriff’s Deputy arrived at Mahkuk’s residence in October 2014 to take custody of a minor child for Child Protective Services. Mahkuk lied to the deputy, denying that the person CPS wished to speak to was not in the home. Mahkuk, who was on a conditional release from the Department of Corrections, allowed the deputy to search the home. The person was found in the home, as were boxes of ammunition. After receiving authorization from Mahkuk’s probation officer to search the home, the deputy found a glass pipe containing methamphetamine residue in Mahkuk’s bedroom.
Bowdrea Dean Nicolai, 25, Ronan, admitted violating terms of probation and parole and had his deferred sentence for criminal possession of dangerous drugs revoked. The court found Nicolai guilty. Nicolai was sentenced to the Department of Corrections for three years, none suspended, and was recommended for a treatment program.
According to court documents, Nicolai was booked into tribal jail in January 2013 on an unrelated matter and two hydrocodone pills were found in the brim of Nicolai’s hat.
