Lake County District Court news for Aug. 10, 2016
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Judge Deborah Kim Christopher sentenced the following individuals Thursday, Aug. 4:
Keith Charles Harrison, 28, Great Falls, admitted violating conditions of probation, including only paying $490 on $20,000 restitution. Harrison admitted he was working and could have paid the money but did not give it to Parole.
His suspended sentence and a deferred sentence, both for felony burglary, were both revoked, and his sentence was reimposed. Harrison was sentenced to the Department of Corrections for 10 years with five years suspended, with credit for time served. Harrison already served the five years not suspended. His deferred sentence was re-deferred.
If Harrison “gets busy working on restitution” it will likely make a significant difference to the court and state, Judge Christopher noted.
“The whole point is to try to get restitution for the victim in this set of circumstances,” Judge Christopher said. “Be sure to show an active effort to get that money to your probation officer.”
Dustin Jade Morgan, 30, Pocatello, Idaho, admitted violating conditions of parole by not appearing in person to probation. His attorney explained that on Dec. 18, 2015, Morgan “tested hot” for methamphetamine but was released from Lake County the same day to return to Idaho. On his return trip, he was a passenger in a car that wrecked on Interstate 90. He suffered a broken hip and back injuries and laid up for quite a while, so he could not appear for his next Lake County court date, and a warrant was issued. He was arrested on the warrant in Idaho April 8, 2016, and sent back to Lake County.
The court found Morgan guilty of violating probation and revoked Morgan’s sentence for a second time. His 10-year DOC commitment for two felony counts — criminal possession with intent to distribute and tampering with evidence —was re-imposed, with all suspended and credit for time served, to run concurrently. The sentencing came with “some reservations” by the court.
“The court’s biggest difficulty is to justify why we are revoking without doing something with it,” Christopher explained.
The state said they want to send Morgan back to Idaho, where he is facing jail time for drug possession.
Roberta Rodda, 30, Missoula, per a plea agreement had her sentence for criminal possession of dangerous drugs deferred for three years and imposed 32 days of jail time, which has already been served.
The sentence is contingent on Rodda working with her probation officer and attending a drug treatment program if probation recommends it.
“I’ve been working harder than I ever had,” Rodda said. Judge Christopher said the sentence gives Rodda a significant opportunity to see if she “can get a handle on this,” particularly for her children’s sake.
“Teach them not to go down this road. Otherwise, it would be better if you are not involved in their lives,” Christopher said.
According to court documents, methamphetamine was found in Rodda’s vehicle during a traffic stop along Highway 93 on Dec. 15, 2015.
