Former detention officer could get 50 days in jail
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A former detention officer with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office has admitted to her role in providing a mobile phone to an inmate in the Lake County jail.
Korren Katelyn Fehrenbach, 25, of Polson, entered a plea of guilty at District Court in Polson on Aug. 10 to misdemeanor charges of transferring illegal articles and official misconduct. The guilty pleas are part of a plea agreement that will dismiss, at sentencing, two misdemeanor counts of transferring illegal articles.
In late April, jail staff intercepted conversations Fehrenbach had with an inmate, according to court records. In the recording, Fehrenbach told the inmate that she remained loyal to him and had given him a phone. A search turned up the mobile phone on the inmate. A charger for the phone and earphones were located in his jail cell.
Fehrenbach admitted, during the change of plea hearing, that she was in a romantic relationship with the inmate. The plea agreement calls for eight days of jail time for transferring illegal articles and six months jail, with all but 42 days suspended, for the misconduct charge. The jail time totals 50 days between the two charges.
Fehrenbach was granted the opportunity to argue for a lesser sentence. District Judge Shane Vanetta, of Missoula, presided over the case and set sentencing for Aug. 31. The sentencing hearing will take place in Missoula.
