Public Record
A man from both Polson and Hot Springs entered an Alford plea at District Court in Polson on Oct. 28 to felony indecent exposure to a minor. Jonathon Dell Tifft, 29, told the court that he was suffering from a mental health problem when he exposed himself to several girls who were on a parade float during Polson High School’s homecoming parade on Sept. 27, 2019. Several of the girls were too uncomfortable to provide a statement. Of the seven victims who did provide a statement, six were 14 years of age and one was 15. In an Alford plea, a defendant concedes that the state has enough evidence to gain a conviction if the case were to be presented to a jury at trial. The p...
Judge James Manley sentenced a Polson man in District Court at Polson on Oct. 28 to the Montana State Prison for 10 years with five years suspended on one count of assault with a weapon and another 10 years with all that time suspended on one count of tampering with witnesses or informant. Alan Lewis Kibl...
A North Dakota man is accused of stealing the bank deposit bag from the manager’s office at Polson Bay Golf Course, not once but twice. Robert Todd Gustafson, 56, entered a plea of not guilty at District Court in Polson on Oct. 29 to felony theft. According to court records, on July 14, 2014, survei...
One plea agreement resolved three separate criminal cases against a Polson woman. Kiirsten Nicole Fairchild, 19, was facing two counts of burglary, two counts of criminal possession of dangerous drugs, robbery, theft, criminal endangerment and tampering with physical evidence. The plea agreement res...
A Polson man, who was facing eight counts of partner or family member assault plus one count of unlawful restraint, had all but one of the charges dismissed after the alleged victim recanted her story. Pernnell Albert Dionne Jr., 35, entered a plea of guilty at District Court in Polson on Oct. 21 to one m...
District Judge Jason Marks, of Missoula, sentenced a former Colorado man to the Montana State Prison for 80 years on one count of deliberate homicide for the beating death of Gyme Kelley, 63, of Ronan. William Lowery Hesse II, 54, was sentenced at District Court in Polson on Oct. 22. He was also sen...
Judge Deborah “Kim” Christopher committed a Mullan Idaho man to four years with the Montana Department of Corrections with all but 45 days suspended on one count of criminal endangerment, a felony. The sentence was handed down at District Court in Polson on Oct. 15. Brian Andrew Fernquis...
A Charlo woman is accused of driving onto U.S. Highway 93 from Eagle Pass Trail without yielding to oncoming traffic and causing a serious crash. Stacy Leann Markus, 53, entered a plea of not guilty at District Court in Polson on Oct. 15 to one felony count of negligent vehicular assault. According to ...
It took a Lake County jury a full day of deliberations before finding a former Colorado man guilty of deliberate homicide and tampering with physical evidence. William Lowery Hesse, 54, was accused of beating Gyme Kelley, 63, to death. The incident occurred inside Kelley’s fifth-wheel trailer. Hesse...
A Dayton man was committed at District Court in Polson on Sept. 23 to the Montana Department of Corrections for 10 years with five years suspended for violating conditions of probation on a criminal endangerment conviction in 2018. Orli Bitsinni, 21, was initially charged with sexual intercourse without c...
