Lake County District Court news for Jan. 16, 2013
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Judge C.B. McNeil dealt with the following cases Wednesday, Jan. 9:
Thomas Mitchell, 44, St. Ignatius, was sentenced to the Department of Corrections for 13 months followed by two years suspended for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, fourth or subsequent offense, a felony.
According to court documents, the charge stems from a September 2012 incident where a tribal officer was controlling traffic during a search and rescue mission at Mission Reservoir near St. Ignatius. Mitchell drove up in a blue Ford pickup truck, and the officer approached him to tell him the road was closed. The officer noticed an open beer can in Mitchell’s lap and could smell alcohol.
Mitchell admitted to drinking before driving, and a breath sample showed he had a blood alcohol concentration of .254 percent. His driving record showed at least three prior DUI convictions.
Randall Mitchell Jr., 25, St. Ignatius, had his February 2012 suspended sentence for theft, a felony, revoked and was sentenced to the Department of Corrections for five years, two suspended, with credit for time served.
According to court documents, Mitchell violated his probation by refusing to submit to drug testing and failing to report to his probation officer as ordered.
Judge Deborah Kim Christopher dealt with the following cases Thursday, Jan. 10:
Raeleen Marcel Stokes, 27, Ronan, was sentenced to the Lake County Jail for six months, all suspended but 32 days, with credit for time served, for disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor.
According to court documents, charges stem from an August 2012 incident where Stokes allegedly approached two Ronan Police officers in the park in Ronan and was yelling and using foul language. She appeared intoxicated and wouldn’t leave after she was asked to calm down and go home. When the officers tried to arrest her, she head-butted one and kicked one in the jaw.
Stephanie Bean, 30, Ronan, pleaded not guilty to assault on a peace officer, a felony. An omnibus hearing was set for Thursday, March 14, and a jury trial set to begin Monday, April 22. Both begin at 9 a.m.
According to court documents, the charge stems from a December 2012 incident where a Polson Police officer responded to a report of a possible partner/family member assault in progress in a room registered to George Aimsback Jr. at the KwaTaqNuk Resort. From outside the room, the officer heard a thumping on the walls and room door and a female crying and yelling unintelligibly. She also heard what sounded like someone trying to unlock the door.
When backup arrived, officers knocked on the door and announced the presence of police officers three times, to no response. After a few minutes, Bean opened the door. She appeared intoxicated and looked as though she had been crying. She told the officers to leave, using profane language, and asked them if they didn’t have better things to do than knock on doors. Bean refused to step into the hallway and said that only her 13-year-old son was in the room and he was sleeping.
An officer grabbed Bean’s shirt near her shoulder and pulled her out of the doorway. Bean began yelling profanely at the officer and would not stop. Officers cleared the room and found Bean’s son sleeping in a bed with his head above the covers, and it was clear there was another individual under the covers next to the boy. Upon direction from an officer, Aimsback came out from under the covers and was placed in handcuffs.
As officers were leading Aimsback out of the hallway, Bean continued to yell as she approached the officer who had grabbed her shirt. A deputy restrained Bean, who resisted and rolled around on the floor as he tried to handcuff her. She bit, scratched and pinched the deputy’s arms, causing a bleeding cut to his hand.
Santiago Quintana, 19, Ronan, pleaded not guilty to burglary, a felony, and accountability (burglary), a felony. An omnibus hearing was set for Thursday, Feb. 28, and a jury trial set to begin Monday, April 8. Both begin at 9 a.m.
According to court documents, the charges stem from an October 2012 incident where Quintana, a Subway restaurant employee, allegedly took $732 from Subway’s cash drawer, cash box and safe after closing the restaurant at night. Quintana confessed to the crime and admitted to investigators that he’d “jarred” the back door to the restaurant, drove to Town Pump to change his clothes, and entered through the back freight door. He took the money from the safe and left out the back door, where Jesus Lopez III was waiting for him in a vehicle. The two men split the stolen money, and Quintana thought he’d gotten less than his share.
He said he only did the burglary because Lopez has a child. Quintana also said he and Lopez had spent $200 of the stolen money on 20 5-milligram morphine pills. Lopez, a former Subway employee, also made a full confession.
Katie Joerger, 26, Frenchtown, pleaded not guilty to two counts of assault on a peace officer and one count of threats and improper influence in official and political matters, all felonies; and assault with bodily fluid and driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, both misdemeanors. An omnibus hearing was set for Thursday, Feb. 28, and a jury trial set to begin Monday, April 8. Both begin at 9 a.m.
According to court documents, the charges stem from a December 2012 incident where Joerger allegedly crashed her car into a fence and was walking near the crash site when she was stopped by a Montana Highway Patrol Trooper. She smelled strongly of alcohol; her eyes were bloodshot and watery; and her speech was slurred and sometimes unintelligible. She refused to perform field sobriety tests and was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol.
As the arresting officer was buckling Joerger’s seatbelt, she spat in his face and then bit him in the forearm. On the way to the jail, Joerger demanded to be set free and told the officer, “See what happens to your kids.” The officer asked Joerger if she was threatening his child, and in a string of profanity, she said she did threaten his children and said, “I’m gonna call your kids tomorrow; they’ll beg for daddy.”
At the Lake County Jail, another deputy assisted the arresting officer in escorting Joerger to the door of the jail. She “mule-kicked” the first officer in the shins. Joerger refused to provide a blood sample, so the arresting officer obtained a warrant for her blood.
At the hospital, Joerger was belligerent and threatened staff, threatened to “rape and kill” the arresting officers children, threatened to kill the nurse’s children, refused treatment and removed monitoring equipment from her body. She said, “Act like your kids are going to be safe.” When the officer asked if she was threatening his children again, she said, “Yes I am; see what happens to your kids.”
