Lake County District Court news for Jan. 29, 2014
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Judge James A. Manley dealt with the following cases Wednesday, Jan. 22:
Jeremiah Spotted Blanket, 28, St. Ignatius, was sentenced to the Department of Corrections for three years, and credited for 587 days consecutive for time spent in Cascade County.
According to court documents, Spotted Blanket had served jail time for a 2008 theft and was on probation when he was cited for robbery, a felony, May 18, 2013, in Cascade County. His probation was revoked Dec. 18, 2013, after making admissions in court.
Jay Michael Clark, 48, Polson, was sentenced to DOC for three years, with no time suspended, for operation of noncommercial vehicle by person with alcohol concentration of .08 percent or more, fourth or subsequent offense, a felony.
According to court documents, charges stem from an October 2012 incident where Clark was arrested for a possible DUI after being stopped by law enforcement on Dubay Road. In November 2013, Clark changed his not guilty plea to guilty, per a plea agreement and the court found him guilty.
Daniel Aaron Moomaw, 39, Omak, Wash., was sentenced to DOC for five years, all suspended except 60 days, for criminal possession with intent to distribute, a felony. He was also credited for 40 days served.
According to court documents, charges stem from a February 2009 incident where officers were dispatched to a motel in Polson to investigate repeated 911 call hang-ups. When officers entered the motel room, they found a woman and two men inside — one was Moomaw — and 114 grams of marijuana, plus another gram individually wrapped and ledgers. They found more marijuana in the truck parked outside the room, plus a digital scale.
Lisa Oldperson, 45, Arlee, in a change of plea admitted committing two counts of criminal child endangerment, both felonies. The court found her guilty. Sentencing is set for Wednesday, Feb. 26.
According to court documents, charges stem from an August 2013 incident where Oldperson was pulled over for swerving as she drove southbound on Highway 93 through Pablo. There were two young girls in the back seat who were not wearing seatbelts. An initial breath test on a portable device showed her blood alcohol concentration to be .08 percent. She was transported to tribal jail where another breath sample read .111.
Christopher Vidulich, 56, Kalispell, pleaded not guilty to two counts of assault with a weapon, both felonies and burglary, a felony.
An omnibus hearing is set for Wednesday, March 26, and a jury trial is set to begin Monday, May 5.
According to court documents, charges stem from a Christmas Day 2013 incident where Lake County deputies responded to a report of domestic disturbance with shots fired in Ferndale.
A woman said she was in the home with a male friend when her estranged husband, Vidulich, had kicked in the door. The woman picked up a handgun and pointed it at Vidulich and told him to leave. Instead, Vidulich ran at the woman and wrestled the gun away from her. During the struggle, the gun fired several times. Vidulich then kicked in the bathroom door and threatened to shoot the male friend. The friend was able to take the pistol away from Vidulich, and Vidulich left the residence. Vidulich was later arrested by a Kalispell police officer. Three spent cartridges were found in the home, as well as what appeared to be bullet holes in the ceiling.
Judge Deborah Kim Christopher dealt with the following cases Thursday, Jan. 23:
Darwin Zempel, 30, Ravalli, was sentenced to DOC for five years, with no time suspended, for criminal possession of dangerous drugs, a felony. Zempel also had a previously suspended term for felony theft revoked. For that, he was sentenced to five years with all suspended, to be served consecutively to the five years in DOC.
According to court documents, the theft charge stems from a 2003 burglary of alcohol and tobacco from a store in Ravalli.
The criminal possession of dangerous drugs charges stems from an October 2013 charge where Zempel tested positive for methamphetamine when he reported to his probation officer. Drug paraphernalia was found in Zempel’s car.
Jerome Quequesah, 31, Ronan, in a change of plea admitted committing the offense of criminal endangerment, a felony, and criminal possession of dangerous drugs, a felony. The court found Quequesah guilty of both charges.
Sentencing is set for Thursday, Feb. 27.
According to court documents, charges stem from a January 2013 incident where a woman, at home with her husband and children, reported a man sneaking around her home. She believed it was Quequesah because he had done it before, she said.
She reported that he was yelling, saying that she would be the first to die. As tribal officers made their way to the home, Quequesah left that home and went to his parents’ home.
Officers then when to Quequesah’s home. Officers could see inside the home, and saw that Quequesah’s father was upset and Quequesah had a gun in his hand. At that point, one officer entered the resident and handcuffed Quequesah.
During interviews with the parents, they said Quequesah had threatened both their lives, that Quequesah had held a gun to the father’s head and his own head and threatened to kill himself, but there were no bullets in the gun. Quequesah was holding a knife when the officer entered the home, which the parents confirmed Quequesah had gone for when he couldn’t find the bullets.
The mother said she had never seen her son like this, and believed he might be on drugs. While in detention, a narcotic tablet was found in Quequesah’s pant’s pocket, and he did not appear to have a prescription for it.
Jonathan Drennan-Beck, 19, Pablo, pleaded not guilty to two counts of assault with a weapon and one count of criminal endangerment, all felonies. An omnibus hearing is set for Thursday, Feb. 13, and a jury trial is set to begin Monday, March 24.
According to court documents, charges stem from a December 2013 incident where police were dispatched to a call of shots fired in Pablo.
When officers arrived, the woman said she and her daughter were lying on a couch when bullets began coming through their walls. They both rolled to the floor to avoid getting shot. Later the woman called to say another woman had witnessed a white minivan drive up to the woman’s home, a back door opened and a male in the rear seat had started shooting. The witness said she recognized the driver, so officers went to his residence, where the white van was parked. After getting permission to search the van, they found .45 caliber shell casings in the back. After officers were given permission to search the home, they found Drennan-Beck hiding in the bathroom. They also found a .45 caliber handgun in a backpack and baggies of methamphetamine in the home. Two other men involved in the incident were also there and arrested along with Drennan-Beck. When questioned at the jail, all three suspects downplayed their participation in the shooting, but provided information about the others. All three denied the shooting involved drugs, but all three admitted to using meth.
Based on the interview, it appears the shooting was in retaliation for a drive-by shooting the previous evening, according to court documents.
Vanessa Kay Jones, 51, St. Ignatius, pleaded not guilty to criminal endangerment, a felony. An omnibus hearing was set for Thursday, Feb. 27 and a jury trial was set to begin Monday, April 7.
According to court documents, charges stem from a February 2013 incident where Jones allegedly gave 20 red and white pills to a six-year-old female and told the child to go to bed.
Officers responded to a report of a possible suicide attempt and drug overdose, and found Jones unresponsive. The child was also transported to a hospital with a suspected drug overdose.
Later in an interview, the child said Jones had taken a bunch of white pills, and then Jones gave her 20 red and white pills and told her take them and go to bed. When the child awoke in the morning, she could not walk and was then taken to the hospital.
According to the affidavit, Jones was taken to the State Hospital in Warm Springs and she intended to leave the state upon discharge. Two warrants were made for her arrest, the first in April 2013 and again in January. She was arrested Jan. 14.
