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Lake County District Court news for Sept. 2, 2015

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Judge Deborah Kim Christopher dealt with the following cases Thursday, Aug. 27:

Francis Joseph Pierre, Jr., 33, Ronan, pleaded not guilty to criminal child endangerment, a felony, and criminal mischief, a misdemeanor. An omnibus hearing is set for Oct. 22 and a jury trial is set to begin Jan. 11, 2016.

According to court documents, Pierre, Jr., backed his truck into another person’s vehicle and dented it at a campground. When the vehicle’s owner spoke to Pierre, she suspected he had been drinking so she called 911. Pierre drove off but was stopped by Tribal officers and admitted consuming alcohol.  He blew a .158 on the preliminary breath test. He also had been driving with five children in the bed of the truck and a 2-year-old, unrestrained, in the cab.

Toni Lee Downey, 50, Ronan, pleaded not guilty to criminal possession of dangerous drugs, a felony. An omnibus hearing is set for Sept. 24 and a jury trial is set to start Jan. 11, 2016.

According to court documents, on July 8 a concerned citizen reported a suspicious vehicle parked on Leighton Road, apparently prowling for residences to break in to. Downey, the driver and owner of the vehicle, also appeared impaired. A Lake County Sheriff’s officer arrived and arrested her passenger on an outstanding warrant for dangerous drugs. Drug paraphernalia was in plain sight in the vehicle, and a search of Downey’s purse revealed several pills; two were clonazepam, a dangerous drug.

Roland James Brown, 37, Arlee, pleaded not guilty to criminal possession of drugs, a felony. An omnibus hearing is set for Sept. 3 and a jury trial is set to begin Dec. 7.

According to court documents, on Feb. 11 a Polson police officer was asked to check on a male that had entered a gas station and was sitting in the deli area for about an hour without purchasing anything. Brown, the male, had two warrants for his arrest, one from Tribal jail and one for Lake County district court. He was arrested and taken to Tribal jail, where officers found a chewing tobacco can containing several small baggies of presumed narcotics, and a small metal container containing methamphetamine.

In June, Brown pleaded not guilty to assault with a weapon and another count of criminal possession of dangerous drugs. Those two cases were continued to Sept. 3.

Jeremiah Bird, 29, Ronan, admitted violating conditions of probation and parole and had his 2011 deferred sentence for felony assault on a peace officer revoked. Bird was sentenced to the Department of Corrections for five years.

According to court documents, in January 2011 Bird walked toward police officers while swinging a metal post, and would not stop when asked to. He was warned he would be tased if he did not stop, but kept advancing. When the taser misfired, the officer drew his weapon, and Bird took off running and was eventually arrested.

 

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