Lake County District Court news for Sept. 28, 2011
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Judge C.B. McNeil heard the following cases on Wednesday, Sept. 21:
Matthew Julian Michel, 23, St. Ignatius, had his deferred sentence for felony burglary revoked and was sentenced to five years in the Department of Corrections.
According to court documents, Michel admitted violating several conditions of his parole and probation by using illegal drugs, shoplifting and failing to enter chemical dependency counseling and mental health counseling.
John H. Ducharme, 61, Polson, pleaded not guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, fourth or subsequent offense, a felony. Ducharme remains at liberty. An omnibus hearing was set for Wednesday, Dec. 14, and a jury trial is set for Monday, Feb. 6. Both begin at 9 a.m.
According to court documents, the charges stem from an Aug. 27 incident when a Polson police officer made a traffic stop around 4 p.m. after a silver Ford Explorer turned in front of another vehicle, forcing it to brake sharply to avoid a collision. When the officer approached the Explorer, he saw Ducharme, the driver, place a beer in the center console. The passenger also had an alcoholic beverage in his hand, another in his lap and several more in the vehicle. The officer detected the odor of alcohol on Ducharme’s breath, and performed sobriety tests, which Ducharme failed. A sample of Ducharme’s breath showed he had a blood alcohol content of .249. In an interview, Ducharme stated that he had been driving and had had a lot of beer.
Judge Deborah Kim Christopher heard the following case on Thursday, Sept. 22:
Johnny Shawn Charlo, 35, Arlee, pleaded not guilty to sexual assault, a felony. An omnibus hearing was set for Thursday, Nov. 10, and a jury trial was set for Monday, Jan. 9. Both begin at 9 a.m.
According to court documents, charges stem from a July 24 incident where a woman reported to tribal police that Charlo had sexually assaulted her daughter, a 12-year-old girl. A tribal officer and a Polson police officer went to the woman’s residence and interviewed the girl and her mother. The girl stated that she had been sleeping on a mattress on the floor when she woke up around 5 a.m. to see Charlo lying beside her. She said Charlo then touched her inappropriately in her private area, and she ran upstairs and told her older sister what had happened. The sister found Charlo on the younger girl’s bed, hit him in the face and told him to leave; he refused. Both girls said Charlo’s pants were around his ankles and described the boxer shorts he was wearing.
In an interview, Charlo stated he did not remember anything about the incident and had had about 10 mixed double drinks that night. In a search of Charlo’s residence, a Lake County sheriff’s detective found a pair of boxer shorts matching a description given to police by the 12-year-old girl and her older sister.
