Lake County District Court news for Nov. 23, 2011
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Judge Deborah Kim Christopher dealt with the following cases Thursday, Nov. 10:
Daniel Ray Hill, 42, Bigfork, pleaded not guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, fourth or subsequent offense, a felony. An omnibus hearing was set for Thursday, Jan. 12, and a jury trial is set to begin Feb. 27. Both begin at 9 a.m. According to court documents, charges stem from an Oct. 22 incident where a U.S. Forest Ranger stopped a pickup truck to check for hunting licenses on Crane Mountain Road in Lake County. The driver, Hill, appeared to be intoxicated and the ranger noticed a half empty bottle of whiskey in the vehicle. A breath sample later showed Hill had a .215 blood alcohol concentration, and Hill’s driving record showed he had at least three prior DUI convictions.
Aaron R. Acosta, 21, Pablo, in a change of plea, admitting committing the amended offense of partner or family member assault, a misdemeanor. He was found guilty and sentenced to one year in the Lake County Jail with all suspended but 24 hours. He will receive credit for 24 hours served and is also to complete the MAP program. According to court records, charges stem from an Aug. 17 incident when tribal police responded to Pablo Elementary School. Acosta was allegedly beating up his girlfriend of four years and choking her. In a statement to a Lake County Deputy, Acosta said he “beat her up and choked her out.”
Bryan Gregory Dupuis, 25, Polson, in a change of plea, admitted committing the amended offense of criminal possession of dangerous drugs, a misdemeanor. He was found guilty and sentencing was deferred for six months. Dupuis is also to complete a chemical dependency evaluation and serve one day in the Lake County Jail. He will receive credit for one day served. According to court documents, charges stem from a July 1 incident where a Tribal Officer noticed a Ziploc baggie hanging out of Dupuis’ sweatshirt pocket at the Arlee Powwow Grounds. The officer removed from Dupuis’ person a bag of marijuana, a marijuana pipe and a bag containing what he believed, based on his experience and training, to be hashish and believed it to weigh more than 1 gram. Judge C.B. McNeil dealt with the following cases Wednesday, Nov. 16:
Dennis Gillingham, 70, in a change of plea, admitting committing the amended offense of sexual assault, a felony. He was found guilty and sentencing was set for Wednesday, Feb. 22, at 9 a.m. According to court documents, charges stem from more than 30 incidences between 1998 to 2007 when Gillingham allegedly had sexual contact with his now 16-year-old granddaughter while he babysat her. The girl recently told her parents, and items found in Gillingham’s possession were consistent with her recollection of events.
Octave Finley, 27, Billings, had his 2004 suspended sentences for burglary, a felony, and theft, a misdemeanor, revoked and was sentenced to five years, no time suspended, in the Department of Corrections. He will receive credit for time served in custody. According to court documents, Finley violated several conditions of his probation and parole by changing residences without notifying his probation officer, consuming alcohol, providing diluted urine samples for drug tests, failing to pay court-ordered restitution and failing to follow recommendations for continued sobriety and self-help given by treatment providers.
Jeffrey John Catterlin, 26, Polson, had his 2010 suspended sentences for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, a felony, and partner or family member assault, a felony, revoked. He was sentenced to the Department of Corrections for five years, and the court recommended Catterlin be considered for boot camp. He will receive credit for time served while in custody. According to court documents, since February Catterlin violated conditions of his probation and parole by traveling to Florida without notifying his probation officer, checking in late with his probation officer, using methamphetamine, missing appointments with and failing to follow recommendations of a chemical dependency counselor, driving a motor vehicle without an interlock device installed, and receiving traffic citations for driving with a suspended driver’s license and for driving without liability insurance.
Savonnah Ryan, 23, Ronan, in a change of plea, admitted committing criminal possession of dangerous drugs, a felony. She was found guilty, and sentencing was set for Wednesday, Dec. 21, at 9 a.m. According to court records, on Feb. 16, Flathead Tribal Police arrested Ryan on outstanding warrants. Ryan admitted to the Montana Highway Patrol Trooper transporting her to Lake County Jail that she had methamphetamine in her shoe. Ryan handed the trooper a plastic Ziploc bag containing a white crystalline substance. The Ziploc bag had green dollar signs on it, and similar bags were found in the vehicle Ryan was in prior to her arrest.
Randal Michell Jr., 24, St. Ignatius, in a change of plea, admitted committing the offense of theft, a felony. He was found guilty and sentencing was set for Wednesday, Dec. 21, at 9 a.m. According to court documents, charges stem from a May 31 incident where Michell entered a home in Arlee and stole three rifles, alcoholic beverages, backpacks and other items.
Roger Bordeaux, 59, Polson, in a change of plea, admitting driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, fourth or subsequent offense, a felony. He was found guilty and will be sentenced as a persistent felony offender on Wednesday, Jan. 11, at 9 a.m.
According to court records, charges stem from a May 31 incident where Bordeaux allegedly drove into a person’s driveway while drinking, offered him a beer and then tried to sell him a pie. The man telephoned his neighbor, a Montana Highway Patrol Trooper, to advise him that Bordeaux was headed to his residence. The officer phoned his wife, who reported that the suspect’s vehicle was stopped on Ninepipe Road and that the driver appeared to be urinating on the side of the road. She reported that the driver drove away heading towards Charlo. A tribal officer located the suspect’s vehicle in the parking lot of Tiny’s Bar in Charlo. Two open beer cans, one empty in the backseat, were observed inside the vehicle. The bartender told officers that Bordeaux had just gotten there and had not yet entered the bar. Officers noticed an odor of alcoholic beverage on Bordeaux’s breath. A breath sample registered a .178 blood alcohol concentration. Knowing the defendant’s history of prior convictions, a Montana Highway Patrol Trooper took over the investigation, as the offense was a felony.
Danielle Sloan, 40, Polson, pleaded not guilty to deceptive practices, common scheme a felony; theft of identity, common scheme, a felony; and theft, common scheme, a felony. An omnibus hearing was set for Wednesday, Dec. 21, and a jury trial is set for Tuesday, Feb. 21. Both begin at 9 a.m. Sloan remains at liberty. According to court documents, charges stem from incidences in May when Sloan allegedly made 32 unauthorized transactions with a debit card belonging to a woman who employed her as a caretaker. The total amount withdrawn from the woman’s account was $5,457.75.
Ronald Lee Phillips Jr., 48, Ronan, was sentenced to the Department of Corrections for nine years, with five suspended, for the amended offense of criminal possession of precursors to dangerous drugs, a felony. According to court documents, charges stem from a July 4 incident where Phillips was stopped for driving with an expired registration. During the stop, a Tribal Law Enforcement officer asked Phillips is there were drugs in the vehicle. Phillips referred the officer to the ashtray for marijuana. After asking for consent to search the vehicle, the officer also found several items consistent with a methamphetamine lab.
