Lake County District Court news for June 29, 2011
Hey savvy news reader! Thanks for choosing local.
You are now reading
1 of 3 free articles.
Judge C.B. McNeil dealt with the following cases Wednesday, June 22:
Dusty J. Seyler, 23, Desmet, Idaho, was sentenced to the Department of Corrections for five years, with no part suspended. Seyler will receive credit for time served while in custody but not for time while in probation but not in custody. The court also approved placing Seyler in Boot Camp if it meets approval of DOC. On June 15, the court revoked Seyler’s deferred sentence for failing to complete treatment for chemical dependency and sexual offender treatment, and denied a request for reduction in bail; Seyler remained in custody on $20,000 bail.
According to court documents, Seyler admitted in March 2010 to an amended offense of sexual assault, a felony, for having sexual intercourse with a 15-year-old girl in early August 2009. Seyler admitted having sex with the girl seven times during 2009.
The incident was reported to the Tribal Law Enforcement after the girl ran away from home and the mother suspected the girl was staying with Seyler. Seyler admitted the sexual relationship in an interview with the Lake County Sheriff department, according to an affidavit from the Lake County Attorney’s office.
When Seyler was sentenced in July 2010, he was ordered to serve 108 days in Lake County Jail, and received credit time already served. He was also given a deferred a five-year sentence.
Mandy Moran, 30, Pablo, was sentenced to 15 days in Lake County Jail with a two-year deferred sentence for an amended offense of threats and other improper influence in official and political matters, a felony.
According to court records, charges stem from a Sept. 2010 incident where Polson police responded to a report of an unruly person at Southshore Lounge. A police officer arrived and found Moran arguing with the bouncer in the doorway. The officer took Moran, who appeared agitated and under the influence of alcohol, to his patrol car. He asked her for her identification, but she said she did not have to tell him anything, and said an expletive to him. Moran identified herself as a tribal member, so the officer handcuffed her and placed her in the back seat to wait for a tribal officer to arrive.
When the tribal officer arrived, he spoke to Moran, and since she appeared calm, he asked her to step out of the car. She said she couldn’t move, and when the tribal officer leaned in to help get her feet out of the car, Moran kicked the tribal officer in the face, causing pain and a swollen lip.
Judge Deborah Kim Christopher dealt with the following cases Thursday, June 23:
Janeva Lee Albert, 21, St. Ignatius, pleaded not guilty to criminal possession of dangerous drugs, a felony and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, a misdemeanor. Albert is not in custody. An omnibus hearing is set for Wednesday, Aug. 18 and a jury trial is set for September 26.
According to court documents, charges stem from a May 8 incident where a woman reported that the car she had parked at a friend’s house in Charlo — a silver 1997 Honda Accord — was stolen, and that it belonged to her grandfather. Her purse was also at the residence and had been rummaged through. The car keys were missing along a prescription bottle with Lortab (Hydrocodon) and Dilaudid (Hydromorphone) pills that were prescribed to the woman.
A Lake County Sheriff’s deputy located the car on Round Butte Road and attempted to pull it over. Albert, the driver of the Honda, accelerated and turned onto Rocky Butte Road, but then lurched and stopped. While searching for a knife that Albert said might be in her jacket pocket, the deputy found the prescription bottle, which the victim identified as hers. The victim also told officers that she did not know Albert, nor did she give her permission to go into her purse and take the keys or pills.
Cherish Meek LaChance, 31, Ronan, pleaded not guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, fourth or subsequent offense, a felony. An omnibus hearing is set for Thursday, Aug. 25 with a jury trial beginning Oct. 24.
According to court documents, charges stem from a June 21 incident where an off-duty tribal officer reported LaChance appeared intoxicated and was in a parked vehicle at a grocery store in Pablo. Another tribal officer observed the vehicle leave the parking lot and recognized LaChance as the driver. The officer stopped the vehicle, noted the odor of alcohol and LaChance’s red eyes, and that her speech was slurred.
She asked to just go home, but the officer replied he could not do that since her driving record indicated that this was a felony DUI, and it would be turned over to the Lake County Sheriff's Department. When the deputy arrived, LaChance agreed to a breath sample, which registered above 0.08.
At the detention center, LaChance told the deputy she had been drinking a lot of rum, vodka and Sparks. She agreed to a blood test, which was sent to the crime lab and revealed that LaChance’s blood also contained ethanol, hydrocodone, and THC.
