Lake County District Court news for Feb. 1, 2012
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Judge Deborah Kim Christopher dealt with the following cases Thursday, Jan. 26:
Floyd Dennis Hammer, 65, Ronan, was sentenced to Montana State Prison for 20 years for criminal possession with intent to distribute, a felony.
According to court documents, charges stem from a June 6, 2011, incident where a Tribal Police officer observed Hammer in what appeared to be a drug transaction near Ronan. When Hammer drove off, the officer followed him because he knew Hammer’s driving privileges were suspended. The officer attempted to pull Hammer over, but Hammer kept driving and appeared to make furtive movements in the vehicle. When Hammer did stop, he was arrested and the vehicle impounded.
A bag of a powdery substance was found in the vehicle, and tests indicated it was methamphetamine. Later, someone in the holding cell found two more bags of the substance, and a review of the video in the holding cell showed Hammer taking them from his pocket and hiding the bags in a paper cup in the corner of the holding cell.
Yancy McCrea, 25, Ronan, pleaded not guilty to criminal possession of dangerous drugs, a felony. An omnibus hearing was set for Thursday, March 15, and a jury trial is set to begin Monday, April 23. Both begin at 9 a.m.
According to court documents, the charge stems from a February 2011 incident when Tribal Police officers searched McCrea’s residence and found several small plastic bags containing white powder residue consistent with methamphetamine and other evidence that McCrea had violated his probation. McCrea’s probation officer then authorized police to arrest McCrea and search his vehicle. Shortly after, the officers found McCrea in his vehicle at Mission Mart in Ronan and arrested him for probation violation. When he was told that several bags of suspected methamphetamine were found in his house, McCrea said, “I know; they are mine.” The Montana State Crime Lab later identified the substance in the bags as methamphetamine.
Jeremiah Spotted Blanket, 26, St. Ignatius, pleaded not guilty to criminal possession of dangerous drugs, a felony. An omnibus hearing was set for Thursday, March 1, and a jury trial is set to begin Monday, April 23. Both begin at 9 a.m.
According to court documents, the charge stems from a Jan. 14 incident where Spotted Blanket was arrested for drinking on probation. When he arrived at the Lake County Jail, Spotted Blanket told a detention officer that he had something in his sock and asked the officer to “get rid of it for him.” The officer found a partially open bindle of presumed methamphetamine weighing approximately 7 grams in Spotted Blanket’s sock. A field test showed the substance was methamphetamine; it was sent to the state crime lab for further testing.
June Jones, 51, Ronan, pleaded not guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, a felony. An omnibus hearing was set for Thursday, March 15, and a jury trial was set to begin Monday, April 23. Both begin at 9 a.m.
According to court documents, the charge stems from a Jan. 6 incident where a Lake County Sheriff’s Deputy on patrol near Tiny’s Tavern in Charlo saw a vehicle squeal its tires and take off at a high rate of speed. The deputy directed the driver to stop, but the vehicle continued past him at a high rate of speed. He pursued the vehicle down several roads until the vehicle finally stopped on Morris Road. The driver, Jones, said she had seen the deputy and apologized for not stopping. As Jones is a tribal member, the deputy turned the investigation over to a Tribal Officer. After Jones performed poorly on several field sobriety tests, she provided a breath sample with registered a .233 blood alcohol concentration. Jones’ driving record showed she has at least three prior DUI convictions.
Desiree Peone, 27, St. Ignatius, pleaded not guilty to criminal possession of dangerous drugs, a felony. An omnibus hearing was set for Thursday, March 15, and a jury trial set to begin Monday, April 23. Both begin at 9 a.m.
According to court documents, the charge stems from a Dec. 28, 2011, incident where Peone was involved in a traffic stop by Tribal Police. While Peone, the driver, was attempting to retrieve documents, an officer saw a marijuana pipe and a baggie of pills in the vehicle. Peone then told the officer there were several empty baggies of methamphetamine in her car. The officer also saw a sawed-off shotgun next to Peone, placed her in handcuffs and found on her person a pipe with suspected methamphetamine residue in it.
As Peone was walking to the rear of the vehicle, a tobacco tin fell from her pant leg. She said the tin contained methamphetamine and consented to a search of her vehicle. The officer found a scale and several baggies all containing suspected methamphetamine residue, another small glass pipe and several pills. Autumn Sara Desjarlais, 35, Pablo, in a change of plea, admitted to the amended offense of criminal possession of dangerous drugs, a felony. She was found guilty and sentencing was set for Thursday, March 1, at 9 a.m. According to court documents, charges stem from a Sept. 2, 2011, incident where Desjarlais hit a woman in the face at a bar in Charlo. She was arrested and taken to jail, where an inventory of her belongings included a baggie of a substance that tested positive for methamphetamine.
Cherish LaChance, 32, Ronan, was sentenced to the Department of Corrections for 13 months and was also sentenced to the DOC for two years, all suspended, for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, a felony.
According to court documents, charges stem from a June 21, 2011, incident where an off-duty tribal officer reported LaChance appeared intoxicated and was in a parked vehicle at a grocery store in Pablo. Another tribal officer observed the vehicle leave the parking lot and recognized LaChance as the driver. The officer stopped the vehicle, noted the odor of alcohol and LaChance’s red eyes, and that her speech was slurred. She asked to just go home, but the officer replied he could not do that since her driving record indicated that she had at least three prior DUI convictions, and the case would be turned over to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. When the deputy arrived, LaChance agreed to a breath sample, which registered above 0.08. At the detention center, LaChance told the deputy she had been drinking a lot of rum, vodka and Sparks. She agreed to a blood test, which was sent to the crime lab and revealed that LaChance’s blood also contained ethanol, hydrocodone, and THC.
Wesley Uhde, 55, Rollins, was sentenced to the Department of Corrections for 13 months and was also sentenced to the DOC for three years, all suspended, for driving under the influence of alcohol, a felony.
According to court documents, charges stem from a June 2008 incident where a Highway Patrol officer responded to a single-vehicle rollover on U.S. Highway 93 near Proctor. It appeared the driver, Uhde, drove off the right side of the roadway and continued for about 200 feet before taking corrective action. Uhde overcorrected, sending the car into a skid before flipping one and one half times, landing on the roof in the southbound lane. Uhde was suspended upside down in the vehicle by his seatbelt.
When he was freed, the officer spoke to Uhde and noted impaired balance, slurred speech, an odor of alcoholic beverage, and an inability to identify and remove his driver’s license. He was transported to a hospital, where a blood sample sent to the crime lab revealed Uhde’s blood alcohol level was .18 and his blood contained diazepam and nordiazepam. His driving record showed Uhde had three prior DUI convictions.
