Lake County District Court news for Oct. 10, 2012
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Judge C.B. McNeil dealt with the following cases on Wednesday, Oct. 3:
Marcus Padilla, 29, Pablo, in a change of plea, admitted to the amended offense of assault, a misdemeanor. He was found guilty, and sentencing was deferred for six months, all suspended but time served. Padilla was also ordered to pay a $500 fine, all suspended.
According to court documents, charges stem from a June 27 incident where a woman named Niki reported that she received a phone call from her friend, who was in a relationship with and has three children with Padilla. Padilla’s girlfriend asked Niki to pick her up from the couple’s home. When Niki arrived, she saw Padilla grab his girlfriend by the neck and drag her back into the house. Padilla then allegedly came out of the house and threatened Niki with a fixed-blade hunting knife, ordering her to leave. When officers arrived at the house, they found Padilla’s girlfriend unresponsive lying on a bed. Padilla said at some point that evening, she had lost consciousness. She had bruising on her chin, scraped marks on her neck and throat area,and a broken lip piercing, and did not remember seeing Niki or arguing with Padilla that night. Loss of consciousness, memory and other cognitive functions are all consistent with oxygen deprivation as a result of manual strangulation significant enough to create a substantial risk of death or serious and mental impairment.
David Martinez, 43, Pablo, in a change of plea, admitted to sexual assault with bodily injury, a felony, and partner or family member assault, a felony. He was found guilty, and sentencing was set for Wednesday, Nov. 21, at 9 a.m.
According to court documents, charges stem from a May 22 incident where Martinez hit his partner’s head on a door frame and sexually assaulted her, ripping her hair and knocking a tooth loose in the process. Martinez has at least two prior PFMA or similar convictions in Montana and another state.
Randall Stevens, 18, Ronan, in a change of plea, admitted to burglary, a felony. He was found guilty, and sentencing was set for Nov. 14 at 9 a.m.
According to court documents, charges stem from a June 18 incident where Stevens and an accomplice are shown on a security tape at the Second Chance Saloon in Ronan rifling through the liquor at the bar and selecting bottles. Both Stevens and his accomplice admitted to breaking into the bar through the window and stealing liquor. The value of the stolen liquor was $275.75, and the damage to the window was $20.
Donald Ray Lee, 50, St. Ignatius, pleaded not guilty to assault with a weapon, a felony. An omnibus hearing was set for Wednesday, Oct. 24, and a jury trial set to begin Monday, Dec. 17. Both begin at 9 a.m.
According to court documents, the charge stems from an Aug. 22 incident where Lee allegedly threatened to stab a woman with a knife. A Lake County Sheriff’s Deputy responded to an altercation in St. Ignatius where Lee had locked himself in a room with a knife. The female victim said Lee was swearing at her and threatened to stab her, and Lee admitted that he pulled a knife out around the woman.
Judge Deborah Kim Christopher dealt with the following cases Thursday, Oct. 4:
Leonard White, 61, Pablo, pleaded not guilty to driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, a felony. An omnibus hearing was set for Thursday, Nov. 15, and a jury trial set to begin Monday, Jan. 7. Both begin at 9 a.m.
According to court documents, the charge stems from a Sept. 16 incident where White allegedly caused a multi-vehicle accident when he backed his vehicle into a minivan at the corner of Canyon Mill Road and Old Highway 93. White admitted to drinking 15 cans of Miller High life as well as shots of R&R and Fireball whiskey. White refused to provide a breath or blood sample. His driving record shows that he has at least three prior DUI convictions.
Antoine Tenas, 23, Big Arm, was arraigned on amended information and pleaded not guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, fourth or subsequent offense, a felony. An omnibus hearing remains set for Wednesday, Oct. 24, and a jury trial set to begin Monday, Dec. 17. Both begin at 9 a.m.
According to court documents, the charge stems from an April 4 incident where a Flathead Police officer responded to a fight near a vehicle in Pablo. Tenas was in the driver’s seat with the keys in the ignition and the lights on. The officer noticed a small cellophane bindle in plain view in the driver’s seat. The bindle contained white pills that appeared to be Lortabs and were later shown by the state crime lab to contain hydrocodone. Tenas smelled of alcohol and couldn’t complete field sobriety tests. A breath sample taken at the Lake County Jail showed he had a blood alcohol concentration of .267 percent. His driving record shows he has at least three prior DUI convictions.
Curt Supan, 57, Bigfork, pleaded not guilty to aggravated assault, a felony, and partner or family member assault, a misdemeanor. An omnibus hearing was set for Thursday, Nov. 15, and a jury trial set to begin Tuesday, Jan. 22. Both begin at 9 a.m.
According to court documents, the charges stem from a Sept. 19 incident where Supan allegedly threw his wife against a wood coffee table. She was bleeding profusely from the head and crying “stop” at Supan. Supan also confronted another woman who was a guest in the home, threw her to the floor and put his hands around her neck. She could not breathe or move. Supan said he loved her and did not want to hurt her, but if she fought any more, he would kill her. Supan then let the woman go and said the incident was all his fault and he is a bad person. He then locked himself in his bedroom and the two women fled the scene.
Reba Hawkins, 24, St. Ignatius, pleaded not guilty to criminal possession of dangerous drugs, a felony. An omnibus hearing was set for Thursday, Nov. 15, and a jury trial set to begin Monday, Jan. 7. Both begin at 9 a.m.
According to court documents, the charge stems from a July 31 incident where a Montana Highway Patrol Trooper made a traffic stop of a vehicle driven by Hawkins. In a search of Hawkins’ purse, an officer found a pill crusher with white powdery residue on it, a glass stimulant pipe, a vinyl case containing two small plastic baggies with what appeared to be methamphetamine, several insufflation tubes, a razor blade and multiple other baggies. Hawkins appeared to be under the influence of a stimulant, and admitted she had smoked a quarter of a gram of methamphetamine, snorted a 7.5-milligram pill of Lortab, drank one Bud Light and smoked three “hits” of marijuana in the previous six hours. A blood sample was sent to the state crime lab for analysis.
Douglas Griggs, 33, Hamilton, had his 2010 suspended sentence for criminal possession of dangerous drugs, a felony, revoked and was sentenced to the Department of Corrections for three years, one suspended.
According to court documents, Griggs violated his probation, which began June 13, by testing positive for methamphetamine and amphetamines in August and September.
Katherine Price, 40, Polson, in a change of plea, admitted to the amended offense of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, fourth or subsequent offense, a felony. She was found guilty, and sentencing was set for Thursday, Nov. 15, at 9 a.m.
According to court documents, charges stem from a June 1 incident where a police officer stopped a vehicle driven by Price on U.S. Highway 93. Price smelled of alcohol and her eyes were red and glossy. Price performed poorly on several field sobriety tests and refused to give a breath sample. A warrant was obtained for her blood and a blood sample sent to the crime lab for analysis. Price’s driving record showed she had at least three prior DUI convictions.
