Lake County District Court news for Oct. 5, 2011
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Judge C.B. McNeil dealt with the following cases Wednesday, Sept. 28:
David Neale Gonzalez, 35, Pablo, pleaded not guilty to partner or family member assault, a felony. An omnibus hearing was set for Wednesday, Dec. 7, and a jury trial is set to begin Monday, Feb. 6. Both begin at 9 a.m.
According to court documents, the charge stems from an Aug. 21 incident where a Lake County Sheriff’s deputy responded to a report of fireworks being lit at a residence in Pablo. He was met on scene by several people and two tribal officers. The sound of arguing could be heard from inside the residence, and then the deputy heard screaming. Looking through a window, one of the tribal officers saw Gonzalez punch a woman in the head. The tribal officer and the deputy entered the home and arrested Gonzalez. The woman stated that Gonzalez was her boyfriend.
Jeremy Scott Uhde, 34, Rollins, in a change of plea, admitted committing theft, a misdemeanor; criminal mischief, a misdemeanor; criminal trespass to property, a misdemeanor; and criminal trespass to a vehicle, a misdemeanor. The court accepted the plea and found Uhde guilty. For each of the first two counts, Uhde was sentenced to the Lake County Jail for six months, all suspended, and fined $1,500, all suspended. For each of the second two counts, Uhde was sentenced to the Lake County Jail for six months, all suspended, and fined $500, all suspended. All sentences are to run consecutively.
According to court documents, charges stem from a June 3 incident where a man reported that someone had snuck into his basement window and stolen a Nintendo Wii game system and several games, a change jar and a car key, and had hit his parked car while he was at work. The stolen items were valued at nearly $800, and the man estimated $2,000 worth of damage was done to his car.
On June 4, the man reported a second break-in at his home when he returned from a night away and found his house ransacked. The victim had several voice mail messages from Uhde, in which Uhde admitted coming into the house and taking the jar of change.
A Lake County Sheriff’s Deputy located Uhde driving on U.S. Highway 93 in Lake County and stopped him. Uhde’s driver’s license was suspended or revoked, so the deputy and a second deputy arrested him. Uhde admitted to taking change from the victim’s car console, pawning the Wii games and throwing clothes around the victim’s home, but he denied being involved in the first break-in.
Judge Deborah Kim Christopher dealt with the following cases Thursday, Sept. 29:
Francois Burke, 38, Pablo, in a change of plea, admitted to driving under the influence of alcohol, a felony. The court accepted the plea and found Burke guilty. Sentencing was set for Thursday, Nov. 10, at 9 a.m.
According to court documents, the charge stems from an April 10 incident where a female caller reported the driver of a green Taurus had flipped her off and was passing in a reckless manner. A tribal officer found the vehicle driving in the middle of the road on Old Highway 93 and pulled the vehicle, driven by Burke, over. The officer noted two small children in the vehicle. Neither was wearing a seatbelt. He also noted the strong odor of an alcoholic beverage, and that Burke’s speech was slow and slurred and his eyes were red and glassy. Burke refused all tests, but after a 20-minute period he submitted to a breath test, which registered .196. Tribal dispatch advised the officer that Burke had four prior DUI convictions.
Isaac Cordova, 26, Ronan, in a change of plea, admitted committing criminal distribution of dangerous drugs, a felony. The court accepted the plea and found Cordova guilty. Sentencing was set for Thursday, Dec. 1, at 9 a.m.
According to court documents, the charge stems from an August 2010 incident where a confidential informant reported to a state Division of Criminal Investigation agent that Cordova was selling methamphetamine. The informant arranged a sale between Cordova and the DCI agent for the following day. The agent purchased several sealed plastic straws from Cordova for $750, and a field test of the substance inside the straws showed it was methamphetamine. The next day, the agent again met Cordova and purchased six more sealed plastic straws from him for $500. A field test of the substance in the straws again indicated methamphetamine. Additional tests performed by the Montana State Crime Lab showed the substance from both sales was methamphetamine.
Conan George Louie, 33, Pablo, was sentenced to the Montana State Prison for 60 years, with 20 years suspended, for incest, a felony. Louie is not eligible for parole until he completes Phase I and II of the sexual offender treatment program.
According to court documents, the charge stems from sometime in 2010 and/or 2011 when Louis allegedly had sexual contact with a female relative at a time when she was 12 years old or younger and he was over the age of 18. On May 17, Louis walked into Tribal Law and Order and announced that he was a sexual predator. He stated that he was sick, needed help and had touched the victim in inappropriate ways on seven occasions. He later admitted to a Lake County deputy that he had fondled the now 13-year-old female on seven or eight occasions.
David Boucher, Jr., 46, Polson, pleaded not guilty to criminal possession of dangerous drugs, a felony. An omnibus hearing was set for Thursday, Nov. 10, and a jury trial was set to begin Monday, Jan. 9. Both begin at 9 a.m.
According to court documents, the charge stems from a Sept. 4 incident where Polson police officers responded to a report of harassment at Riverside Park in Polson. A man pointed out three males and a female sitting on the hill and said the female had been yelling at him and his friends to give her a hot dog. The officers contacted the group, which included Boucher, and all the individuals were drinking beer. One of the officers was aware Boucher had recently been released from prison, and asked if Boucher had any weapons on him. Boucher said he had a razor in his pocket and told the officer he could remove it from Boucher’s pocket. The officer pulled out a razor, a plastic bag with a paper towel in it and a pill bottle with the label removed. Boucher stated the pill bottle contained clonazepam, a controlled substance, for which he did not have a prescription.
Donna Lamere, 54, Polson, pleaded not guilty to criminal possession with intent to distribute, a felony. An omnibus hearing was set for Thursday, Nov. 10, and a jury trial is set for Monday, Jan. 9. Both begin at 9 a.m.
According to court documents, the charge stems from a Sept. 15 incident where a Polson police officer made a traffic stop on U.S. Highway 93 in Arlee. Lamere was a passenger in the vehicle. A tribal officer arrived on scene and recognized Lamere from a prior drug investigation.
The driver consented to a search of the vehicle, and the tribal officer searched the car. In the back seat, he found a purse that Lamere stated she would “take the blame for.” The officer found a small piece of paper folded into a “bindle” used for packaging drugs for resale and a small glass pipe used for smoking methamphetamine. He also found a modified Capri Sun drink pouch containing a baggie with 19 more bindles and another baggie with approximately 7 grams of what he believed to be methamphetamine. A digital scale with white residue on it was also inside the purse.
Gregory Staat, 21, St. Ignatius, had his sentence for theft, a felony, deferred for three years. Staat was ordered to pay $4,000 in restitution.
According to court documents, charges stem from an incident that occurred sometime between April 25 and May 2, where Staat and an accomplice allegedly entered a wrecking yard on Songer Road and stole several items — including four vehicle rear ends, twenty starters and alternators, and four radiators — and then sold them for scrap metal.
