Lake County District Court news for Aug. 12, 2015
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Judge Deborah Kim Christopher dealt with the following cases Thursday, July 30:
Mickey Wolf Kent, 29, Polson, for felony burglary was sentenced to the Department of Corrections for five years with all suspended except 37 days already served. A second count was dismissed.
According to court documents, on Jan. 18, Kent entered Dyno Mart in Ronan and stole a cash deposit safe, a bank deposit, a DVR security video storage device and cigarettes with a total value in excess of $1,500.
Vidal Joseph Castillo, 32, Wapato, Washington, pleaded not guilty to partner or family member assault, third or subsequent offense, 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 Oct. 16, 2014, a woman jumped in front of a Polson police officer’s car, screaming for help. She was crying, her face was bloody, and one of her teeth had been knocked out. She told the officer that Castillo had beaten her up.
A neighbor told officers that she had heard banging against the wall “about 20 times in less than two minutes.” She could her the victim screaming, “stop it, stop it, you are going to kill me” from inside the apartment. The neighbor ran outside and saw Castillo dragging the victim down the street by her sweater before Castillo took off running. The neighbor took a picture of the vehicle. Another neighbor reported hearing thumping and a male voice yell, “spit it out or get out.”
Inside the apartment, law enforcement found blood, a bloody tooth, a tube with white residue, and a big chunk of the victim’s hair.
When interviewed from the hospital, the victim said Castillo, the father of their child, punched her several times in the face and head, and began kicking her in the back. She said she did not resist because she has learned to cooperate with him through the years.
His record showed four prior domestic violation convictions from Washington State.
Aaron Todd Williams, 30, Ronan, pleaded not guilty to partner or family member assault, fifth offense, a felony. He also pleaded not guilty to felony aggravated burglary, felony violation of order of protection, and a misdemeanor partner/family member assault. An omnibus hearing is set for Sept. 3 and a jury trial for Dec. 7.
According to court documents, on June 19 a Ronan police officer received a report from a man who identified himself as Aaron Rodriguez, who was actually Williams. Williams told the officer his wife was intoxicated and walking around outside with a knife in her hand while yelling. Williams said he had taken the knife away from her, and he was cut.
The officer learned the wife actually had an order of protection against Williams. She and Williams had gotten in an argument and when she tried to leave, Williams had assaulted her, strangling her until she felt like she would pass out. The victim told the officer that she is afraid of Williams because he physically hurts her and threatens to kill her and her family as a means of keeping her in his control.
Then on July 6 Williams broke into the wife’s apartment and into the room where she was with her two children. The victim attempted use a taser on Williams, but he took it from her and tased her ear. Williams has two prior convictions for violating a protection order.
Michael A. McDanal, 49, Polson, pleaded not guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, fourth of subsequent offense, a felony. An omnibus hearing is set for Sept. 3 and a jury trial for Dec. 7.
According to court documents, on July 3 at 1:52 a.m., a Polson police officer observed the red Dodge pickup McDanal was driving cross the centerline on Highway 93 and on Main Street in Polson. McDanal refused to provide a breath sample and performed poorly on field sobriety tests. In jail, a breath sample showed McDanal’s blood alcohol concentration was .237, nearly three times the legal limit. McDanal has four prior DUI convictions.
Phillip Cody Haynes, 26, Arlee, in a change of plea admitted committing the offense of felony arson. The court accepted the plea and found Haynes guilty. Sentencing is set for Sept. 24.
According to court documents, Haynes, a Confederated Salish and Kootenai firefighter at the time, admitted he intentionally set seven fires, including four in the summer of 2014, one in the September 2012 and one in July 2013. One fire could not be positively identified by law enforcement.
Luke Weston Butterfly, 21, Ronan, in a change of plea admitted committing assault with bodily fluid, a misdemeanor. The court found Butterfly guilty and sentenced him to one year in Lake County Jail, all suspended. Another count was dismissed.
According to court documents, on April 16 law enforcement responded to a report of a possible shooting in Ronan. Butterfly was detained in a tribal patrol car when he spit in the face of a tribal officer.
Chris Normandeau, 31, Polson, for violating conditions of probation, had his 10-year suspended sentence for felony criminal endangerment in 2009 revoked. He was sentenced to 10 years in DOC with all suspended to run consecutively to a case in Yellowstone County.
Judge James A. Manley dealt with the following cases Wednesday, Aug. 5:
Brandon Jeppesen, 30, Polson, had his sentence for felony criminal endangerment deferred, under the conditions that Jeppesen spend 20 days in jail and have a chemical dependency evaluation within 60 days.
According to court documents, on Sept. 29, 2014, Jeppesen was riding his motorcycle on Highway 93 in Polson when a Montana Highway Patrol trooper attempted to pull him over. Jeppesen accelerated to speeds in excess of 100 mph while the officer pursued, forcing two oncoming vehicles off the roadway. Jeppesen lost control of the motorcycle and slid into the front of a patrol vehicle. He attempted to flee on foot but stopped when he realized he was injured.
Aaron Fetzer, 39, St. Golden, Colorado, pleaded not guilty to criminal possession of dangerous drugs, a felony, and criminal possession of drug paraphernalia, a felony. An omnibus hearing is set for Oct. 21 with a jury trial set to begin Jan. 19, 2016.
According to court documents, Fetzer’s charges date back to January 2009. Fetzer did not show up for his March 2009 arraignment and an arrest warrant was issued. Fetzer was arrested July 31.
Monte Robert Dyer, 61, Kalispell, pleaded not guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, fourth or subsequent offense, a felony. An omnibus hearing is set for Sept. 16 and a jury trial for Dec. 14.
According to court documents, on June 13 a tribal officer observed a motorcycle going 86 mph in a 45 mph zone on Highway 93 in St. Ignatius. When the officer stopped the motorcycle, driven by Dyer, he noticed Dyer smelled of alcohol and had watery, bloodshot eyes. Dyer thought he was driving toward Kalispell.
Dyer blew a .200 BAC. His driving record showed three prior DUI convictions.
Todd Ryan Jordan, 31, Polson, pleaded not guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol, fourth or subsequent offense, a felony. An omnibus hearing is set for Sept. 16 with a jury trial set to start set to start Dec. 14.
According to court documents, a civilian called to report that a white Audi was driving all over the road and nearly hit another vehicle head on after passing on Highway 93 near the Jette Store. A Polson police officer located the vehicle and observed it cross the fog line a number of times while driving 10-15 mph beneath the 35 mph speed limit. Jordan, the driver, admitted to drinking three to four beers. He blew .206 BAC on the preliminary breath test and .172 BAC on the Intoxilizer.
Jordan had three or more prior DUI convictions.
Alta Rae Evans Finley, 50, Ronan, pleaded not guilty to criminal possession of dangerous drugs, a felony. An omnibus hearing is set for Sept. 16 with a jury trial set to start Dec. 14.
According to court documents, on June 14 staff at a casino in Polson found a purse in the bathroom. Staff looked inside in an attempt to find the owner and found methamphetamine and several items of drug paraphernalia. When Finley attempted to claim her lost purse, she was arrested and taken to Lake County Jail, where officers found, in her purse, three syringes, a glass pipe with residue inside, several baggies with drug residue, two tubes with drug residue, a bag containing methamphetamine, a razor blade wrapped in a cigarette box, and a spoon with meth residue.
Matthew Michael Waterman, 27, Polson, in a change of plea pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol, fourth or subsequent offense, a felony. Sentencing is set for Sept. 23.
According to court documents, a Lake County Sheriff’s Deputy came upon a single vehicle crash along Highway 93 on Ravalli Hill around 3:24 a.m. April 30. The vehicle was partially blocking one lane of traffic, and the driver, Waterman, said he was just taking a nap. Waterman refused to do field sobriety testing and was uncooperative and argumentative. A blood sample was taken at a local hospital and sent to the state crime lab.
Joshua Lefthand, 39, Polson, had his suspended sentence for DUI revoked and was sentenced to DOC for 11 years with all suspended but 75 days.
