Lake County District Court news for Nov. 18, 2015
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Judge Deborah Kim Christopher dealt with the following cases Nov. 12:
Kaelah Michelle O’Roake, unknown age and residence, pleaded not guilty to criminal possession of dangerous drugs, a felony. An omnibus hearing is set for Jan. 28, 2016 and a jury trial is set to begin April 11, 2016.
According to court documents, on Sept. 11, 2013 a Lake County Sheriff’s deputy was summoned to a home where it was reported O’Roake had been smoking methamphetamine in the home in front of her children. She consented to have her purse searched, and the deputy found a meth pipe with meth residue inside.
Michael Anthony Assiniboine, Jr., 28, St. Ignatius, pleaded not guilty to criminal possession of dangerous drugs, a felony. An omnibus hearing is set for Jan. 28, 2016 and a jury trial is set to begin April 11, 2016. Assiniboine asked his attorney to request he be released. She said he’s been in jail seven days, can’t afford $25,000 bond, and he would be released to his family who will help get him in a chemical dependency program. He also has a father who is undergoing chemotherapy for cancer and three young children.
Because of his pending allegations, the court denied the request because the court felt Assiniboine could be a potential harm to himself.
According to court documents, on Jan. 15 in St. Ignatius a Lake County Sheriff’s deputy found Assiniboine, Jr. passed out in his vehicle. Assiniboine ran but was arrested when he returned to his truck. The deputy had seen weapons and ammunition in the vehicle and Assiniboine told the officer he had eaten three 8-balls of methamphetamine. The deputy found 3.6 grams of meth in Assiniboine’s pocket.
Marshall Duane Dubois, 31, Great Falls, pleaded not guilty to criminal possession of dangerous drugs, a felony; criminal endangerment, a felony; and fleeing from or eluding a peace officer, a misdemeanor. An omnibus hearing is set for Jan. 14, 2016 and a jury trial is set for March 7, 2016 with a status conference set for Feb. 11, 2016.
According to court documents, on Oct. 3, a Montana Highway Patrol Trooper attempted to stop a vehicle traveling at 57 mph in a 45 mph zone northbound on Highway 93 in Pablo. Instead of pulling over, Dubois, the driver, accelerated to more than 120 mph. Stop strips were placed at the top of Polson Hill, but before he reached them Dubois crossed the median, lost control, ran off the shoulder, and then returned to the highway driving north in the southbound lanes. He accelerated to 100 mph around a blind corner at the bottom of Polson Hill. Officers were prepared to stop the vehicle at the Highway 35 intersection, but Dubois turned around using the bike path and drove south on the bike path before re-entering the highway driving south. Dubois continued towards Ronan at speeds of 100 mph. Dubois drove over spike strips along Highway 93 as he drove through Ronan but continued until mile marker 44, where he finally stopped. Bags of suspected meth were found on the front seat, and Dubois allegedly admitted using meth.
Inismin Lucetta Auld, 33, Elmo, 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, 2016 and a jury trial is set for March 7, 2016.
According to court documents, on Sept. 24 Auld was arrested in Polson for allegedly driving with a blood alcohol content of .202.
Dustin Jade Morgan, 29, Polson, admitted violating conditions of probation and parole and had his suspended sentence for criminal possession with intent to distribute and tampering with evidence revoked. He was sentenced to 10 years, all suspended, on both counts to run concurrently, with credit from time served while incarcerated. The sentence was given because it will give Morgan an opportunity to “rehabilitate himself and stay on track,” according to Judge Deborah Kim Christopher.
A report from his probation offer noted that Morgan had done very well on parole until March and April, when he missed his face-to-face meeting with parole due to illness, yet still communicated through texting. Now Morgan is back in school and doing well.
“Your probation officer is either your best friend or your worst enemy,” Christopher said. “If you’ve got a probation officer on your side, that’s some protection from the court at this time.”
