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Ferguson’s 10-year sentence suspended

At District Court in Polson on Oct. 2, a Polson man was committed to the Montana State Department of Corrections for 10 years with all that time suspended for threatening his grandparents with a knife.  Brandon Kingsley Ferguson, 26, pled guilty to assault with a weapon on Aug. 14. The plea came as part of an agreement that dismissed two counts of kidnapping and one count of resisting arrest. According to court records, law enforcement officers responded to a possible hostage situation on March 19 at a residence on Ducharme Lane. At the scene, officers located Ferguson in the kitchen.  Ferguson was allegedly unruly. He disobeyed officers’ orders and had to be subdue...


Adams acquitted of rape charges

An Elmo man has been acquitted of sexual intercourse without consent after a one and a half-day trial at District Court in Polson that began on Monday, Sept. 30. A 12-person jury reached their verdict within about an hour. Gene Adams, 30, was accused of raping a woman as she slept at a Polson residence on...


Storage unit thief gets 20 years in prison Storage unit thief gets 20 years in prison

A Bigfork man was sentenced at District Court in Polson on Sept. 11 to 20 years in the Montana State Prison and ordered to pay $1,185,500 in restitution on charges of theft and money laundering. Robert Earl Staudenmayer, 33, pled guilty to the charges on July 24 without the benefit of a plea agreement. St...


Marriages and Divorces for July 2019

Marriages James Matthew Calkins and Jeanna Lynn Ragsdale Makia Leaelly Slaughter and Kurtis Delancy Wood Michaela Marie Zebro and Clay Daniel Robertson Aaron Ray Sutton and Victoria Hope Sanford Douglas Duane Tryon and Lutha Camillo Braaten Jason Patrick Shannon and Katherine Anna Adams ...


Civil lawsuit ends, Lake County, others found not liable

A Lake County jury found Lake County, Lake County Sheriff Don Bell, several officers with the Lake County Sheriffs’ office and private citizen Drew Hoel not liable in a civil lawsuit brought by a man whose hearing is impaired and communicates through sign language. Larry Martinez and his wife Lauri ...


 Sherwood receives 20 years for assault, 10 for obstruction  Sherwood receives 20 years for assault, 10 for obstruction

 Donovan Sherwood, 19, was sentenced at District Court in Polson on Aug. 28 to 20 years in the Montana State Prison with none of that time suspended with an eight-year parole restriction.  The sentence results from an aggravated assault charge involving his 13-year-old girlfriend. The case was h...


Jury declares Blixt not guilty of homicide

A Pablo man has been found not guilty of deliberate homicide after a two-and-a-half-day trial that began on Aug. 19 before Judge James Manley.  The Lake County jury of eight men and four women deliberated for about four hours before reaching their verdict in the case against Daniel Chance Blixt, 29, ...


Gieber ordered to pay nearly $200,000 Gieber ordered to pay nearly $200,000

A Polson man has been ordered to pay restitution of $197,385.97 for breaking into Polson storage units and stealing thousands of dollars in personal belongings, including about $150,000 in gold coins. Kenneth Charles Gieber, 21, pled guilty to felony burglary during a change of plea hearing at District Co...


Embezzlement charge rocks small community fire station Embezzlement charge rocks small community fire station

ST. IGNATIUS – The St. Ignatius Volunteer Fire Department is reorganizing after two prominent volunteers suddenly left due to allegations of embezzlement – resulting in one arrest.  On Monday, July 29, Annie Morigeau, 33, was charged with felony theft and forgery and arrested by law enfor...


Sentence deferred in embezzling case

For a Polson woman accused of embezzling money from her employer, Judge James Manley deferred the imposition of sentencing for six years in accordance with a plea agreement reached at District Court in Polson on June 19. Melissa Ann Miller, 34, admitted to crediting false returns to her debit card while s...


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