Lake County District Court news for Jan. 20, 2016
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Judge James A. Manley dealt with the following cases Wednesday, Jan. 13:
Stacy L. Hill, 39, Polson, pleaded not guilty to criminal possession of dangerous drugs, a felony. An omnibus hearing is set for May 4 and a jury trial is set for June 20. A request for bail was denied because Hill disappeared for eight months after her first CPODD charge without contacting her attorney and did not show up for court hearings. She was arrested again on this charge and is being held in Lake County Jail.
According to court documents, on April 7, 2015, the truck Hill was driving was stopped for not having a license plate. Hill’s driver’s license had expired two years prior, and a pipe with methamphetamine residue was found in her purse.
Summer Jean Odom, 24, Kalispell, pleaded not guilty to forgery, a felony. An omnibus hearing is set for March 30 and a jury trial is set for May 2. The court approved a request that she be released on her own recognizance.
According to court documents, on Nov. 17, 2015, Odom tried to pay for $2,429.34 of items in a Polson store on a checking account that did no belong to her. The owner of the checking account said that account had been closed.
Greg Lee Sierman, 31, Ronan, pleaded not guilt to felony burglary. An omnibus hearing is set for March 30 and a jury trial is set for May 2.
According to court documents, on Nov. 11, 2015, Sierman allegedly broke into a building and two sheds at the Tribes’ Division of Fire, attempting to steal a chainsaw and a pair of boots, plus other items.
Jose Maseo Nishikawa, 31, Kalispell, pleaded not guilty to bail jumping, a felony. An omnibus hearing is set for May 4 and a jury trial is set to begin June 20.
According to court documents, on Oct. 21, 2015, Nishikawa appeared before the Court for a change of plea, admitting to partner/family member assault, a felony. He was released and ordered to appear in court Nov. 25 for sentencing. He failed to maintain contact with his probation officer and complete pre-sentencing paperwork. He also failed to appear Nov. 25.
Damian Armando Talamantes, 38, Ronan, pleaded not guilty to bail jumping. An omnibus hearing is set for May 4 and a jury trial is set to begin June 20. Request for OR release was denied.
According to court documents, Talamantes appeared in court July 15, 2015, for his arraignment in which he was charged for stalking, a felony. He was released and ordered to appear again Aug. 5, 2015, for his omnibus hearing, but he did not appear on that date. The omnibus hearing was reset for the following week and Talamantes again did not appear in court.
Gabrielle Houle-Hewankorn, 36, Pablo, pleaded not guilty to two counts of criminal possession of dangerous drugs, both felonies. An omnibus hearing is set for March 30 and a jury trial is set for May 2.
According to court documents, on Dec. 4, 2015, Houle-Hewankorn was a passenger in a vehicle stopped for not having working taillights. The vehicle smelled of marijuana, and after Houle-Hewankorn consented to a search, a law enforcement officer found a full bag of methamphetamine, 23 pills containing hydrocodone in a baggie, a bottle of marijuana plus a glass pipe and several empty baggies, all with meth residue inside.
Duran Thomas Sherwood, 35, St. Ignatius, in a change of plea admitted committing the offense of forgery, a common scheme, a felony. The court found him guilty. Sentencing is set for March 2.
Ronald John Parker, 46, Polson, in a change of plea admitted committing an amended charge of criminal endangerment, a felony. A second count was dismissed. The court found him guilty. Sentencing is set for March 2.
According to court documents, in 1995 Parker had sexual relations with a 15-year-old girl and he kicked her in the groin while she was pregnant with his child.
Melissa Chantel Heavner, 21, Missoula, in change of plea admitted committing the offense of criminal possession of dangerous drugs, a felony. The court found Heavner guilty. Sentencing is set for March 2.
According to court documents, on Sept. 13, 2015, Heavner was a passenger in a vehicle where two baggies of meth and drug paraphernalia were discovered. Heavner told a Lake County Sheriff’s deputy that she and the driver had been using meth, and she showed him injection sites inside her left elbow.
Harley A. Hulford, 30, Ronan, in a change of plea admitted committing the offense of criminal possession of dangerous drugs, a felony. The court found him guilty. Sentencing is set for March 9.
According to court documents, on Sept. 23, 2015, Hulford was picked up on a warrant and a baggie of meth was found in his wallet.
William Allen Rorvik, 34, Polson, in a change of plea admitted committing the offense of burglary, a felony. The court found Rorvik guilty. Sentencing is set for March 9.
According to court documents, on April 14, 2015, Rorvik broke into a Charlo bar and stole money and bottles of liquor.
Llewellyn James Andrew, 37, Elmo, in a change of plea admitted committing two counts of felony forgery. Another count was dismissed per the plea agreement. Sentencing is set for March 9.
According to court documents, between April 24 and May 10, Andrew forged checks in Ronan businesses, written from a stolen checkbook.
Judge Deborah Kim Christopher dealt with the following cases Thursday, Jan. 14:
Bernina Sunrise Vanmeter, 41, Ronan, pleaded not guilty to criminal possession of dangerous drugs, a felony. An omnibus hearing is set for Feb. 18, a status conference for April 7 and a jury trial for May 23.
According to court documents, on Sept. 30 Vanmeter was a passenger in a vehicle that was pulled over by a Montana Highway Patrol trooper. The trooper located a pill bottle containing methamphetamine that Vanmeter said belonged to her.
Joetta S. King, 31, Missoula, admitted violating conditions of probation by failing to complete treatment and serve 30 days in Lake County Jail, moving without permission, not maintaining employment, basically absconding from probation and testing positive for marijuana.
King had her deferred three-year sentence for criminal possession of dangerous drugs revoked. She was sentenced to the Department of Corrections for five years with two years suspended and a recommendation for an appropriate chemical dependency treatment program.
“Beating this monster is incredibly difficult,” Judge Christopher told King, adding that if she does not take advantage of treatment, “then you can come back and I can commit you to the Montana State Women’s prison … Take advantage of treatment … If you don’t you are going to spend a lot of time in orange. Make it work.”
Pascal Hammer, Jr., 34, Ronan, in a change of plea admitted committing the offense of partner/family member assault, third or subsequent, a felony. The court found Hammer guilty. Sentencing is set for March 17, and he was released on his own recognizance and ordered to not have contact with the victim.
According to court documents, in November 2014 Hammer caused bodily injury to his common-law wife. He has two prior convictions for partner/family member assault.
