Lake County District Court news for Aug. 12, 2010
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The following cases were handled by Judge C.B. McNeil on Aug. 4, 2010:
Valerie Plant, 41, of Pablo, pleaded not guilty on Aug. 4, 2010, to driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
An omnibus hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2010.
The charges stem from a June 1 incident in Lake County.
According to court records, Flathead Tribal Officer T.J. Haynes stopped a vehicle for speeding on U.S. Highway 93. While speaking to the driver, Officer Haynes detected an odor of alcohol and noticed the drive’s eyes were bloodshot and her speech slurred.
Upon further questioning, the driver told the officer that she drank “a few beers” in Pablo.
Following several sobriety tests, Officer Haynes determined that Plant’s ability to drive was impaired. When the officer asked the driver to take a breath test, she refused.
When Plant refused to take the test, she was placed under arrest by Officer Haynes, who then waited for another Tribal officer to arrive and wait for the car to be towed.
When the officers discovered Plant had three prior DUI convictions, the matter was turned over to Lake County Sheriff’s deputies.
Plant was then transported to the tribal jail to answer several misdemeanor charges.
Pamela Butler, 44, of Dixon, was sentenced to two years in the Department of Corrections on a sentence revocation matter.
Butler was ordered to enter and complete the Elkhorn Treatment Program followed by a pre-release, provided DOC approves it.
According to court records, the suspended sentence Butler previously received for criminal possession of dangerous drugs, a felony, was revoked after Butler failed to comply with the terms and conditions of the court’s judgment by failing to comply with the conditions of her probation.
Julie Suzanne Smith, 40, Charlo, pleaded not guilty to charges of criminal distribution of dangerous drugs, a felony. An omnibus hearing has been set for Sept. 8, 2010.
According to court records, Smith allegedly met with Dan Blixt, who said he knew someone dealing in prescription drugs for cash. That person turned out to be Julie Suzanne Smith.
That conversation took place on Aug. 6, 2009. On Sept.9, 2009, an agent obtained a search warrant to conduct a controlled buy operation. The agent met with Blixt, who was fitted with a transmitter and a recorder. The agent then monitored the transaction as it occurred in Lake County.
As Blixt asked Smith if she had a specific type of drug, known as “Watsons,” she replied, “Yeah of course...They only give me the good ones.”
Blixt then met with the agent at a debriefing location with six white tablets marked “Watsons” that he obtained from Smith. A test by the Montana State Crime Lab confirmed the drugs as “Watsons.”
The following cases were handled by Judge Deborah Kim Christopher on Aug. 5, 2010.
Chris Grenier, 21, of Ronan, had his case transferred to Judge Deborah Kim Christopher’s court from Judge C.B. McNeil.
Grenier is charged with the alleged rape of a woman he encountered earlier this year.
According to court records, on May 8, 2010, Lake County Sheriff’s deputies received a call from Confederated Salish and Kootenai tribal Police Corp. Tim McClure. McClure said he was headed to St. Luke Hospital in Ronan to investigate an allegation by a woman who said she had been forced to have sex with Grenier on the scenic overlook area of Kerr Dam.
The incident allegedly occurred, court records show, after the woman left the Southshore Lounge in Polson. They noticed each other but no conversation took place.
Afterward, the woman left the lounge and went to another establishment in Polson. Later that evening and early morning, the woman and several friends were at the overlook around 2:30 a.m. until 4 or 5 a.m.
The woman told authorities she recognized Grenier as a friend of her brother in junior high school.
Kevin Victor Kenmille, 46, of Pablo, pleaded no contest to various charges against him.
According to court records, Kenmille had pleaded not guilty to felony driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
The charge stems from a March 27 incident when dispatch received several reports of a car driving recklessly in Pablo.
Tribal officers found and attempted to follow the car matching the report’s description, but lost it when it drove into Ronan. Officers also noted that the emergency lights were flashing on the car. After a quick search, the car was found parked and unoccupied on Main Street.
A few minutes later, officers saw Kenmille approaching the car. After making contact with Kenmille, an officer noted a strong odor of alcohol on Kenmille’s breath and also that he was swaying and standing in an uncoordinated manner. His eyes were bloodshot and his speech was slurred.
Kenmille admitted to drinking but claimed he had not been driving. When the officer told him that he had seen him driving with his flashers on, Kenmille said that he had turned on his flashers and that he’d been at the hospital because his mother was dying.
Ronan Police then took over the investigation and Kenmille refused to give a breath sample and perform field sobriety tests.
Kenmille’s driving record shows that he has at least three prior convictions for driving under the influence.
Justin M. Seely, 42, Hot Springs, was issued a three-year suspended sentence for criminal endangerment, a felony, and a six-month suspended sentence for possession of drug paraphernalia, a misdemeanor. He will receive credit for 35 days jail time served According to court records, Seely pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The charges stem from a May 13 incident, when Seely allegedly shot a rifle at the door of his sister’s trailer during an argument.
When Seely was detained for an investigation, officers seized a .22 caliber rifle and a pipe commonly used to smoke marijuana.
Marc A. Friscia, 21, Polson, pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated assault, a felony, and partner or family member assault, a misdemeanor, and endangering the welfare of children, a misdemeanor.
According to court records, the charges stem from a July 21 incident in Lake County.
According to Polson police, officers responded to a call at a woman’s house about a possible assault. The woman said her former boy friend, Mark Friscia, came to her residence to discuss arrangements to have contact with her children. While scrolling through the woman’s cell phone, Friscia allegedly discovered text messages indicating she was having an affair with another man.
When the woman demanded Friscia leave, he did but came back and demanded to take their 3-year-old son.
After a verbal exchange, Friscia allegedly punched the woman six times and kicked her in the shoulder and chest three times.
While at the Lake County Detention Center, Friscia allegedly became irate at the woman and threatened her several times.
Debby Marry-Hawkins, 23, of Ronan, pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated assault, a felony, and assault with a weapon, a felony.
An omnibus hearing is scheduled for Sept. 9, 2010, at 9 a.m.
According to court records, Lake County Sheriff’s deputies responded to an assault call on May 30, 2010, on Carbine Road. Upon their arrival, the officers observed three men and Marry-Hawkins standing outside the residence.
One of the men is the estranged husband of Marry-Hawkins, and the two allegedly had been in an argument.
Witnesses said, according to court documents, that Marry-Hawkins threw a plate of food at her estranged husband, then punched him in the face. Subsequently, she allegedly stabbed him in the chest with a steak knife.
Marry-Hawkins allegedly tried to flee but was arrested. She admitted that she and her estranged husband had an argument the night before.
