Public Record
MONTANA — Four attorneys have applied to fill a vacancy in the 20th Judicial District, covering Lake and Sanders counties, pending the retirement of Judge Jim Manley on June 1. Gov. Greg Gianforte will appoint the new judge and is currently accepting public comment and letters of support at nominatejudges@mt.gov. Candidates are Benjamin Anciaux, Kathryn McEnery, Molly Owen and Alisha Rapkoch. To qualify for consideration, each must receive at least three letters of support. According to information posted online at nominatejudges.mt.gov: Benjamin Anciaux has served as a deputy Lake County attorney since 2015, maintained a private law practice in Polson sinc...
POLSON — A Somers woman was committed at District Court in Polson on April 13 to the Montana Department of Corrections for 5 years, all suspended, after pleading guilty to the operation of a non-commercial vehicle by a person with an alcohol concentration of 0.08 or more, fourth or subsequent. The plea...
POLSON — A Polson man who was accused of breaking into another Polson man’s apartment and stabbing him has admitted committing the crimes. Chimeco Rivers Martinez, 18, entered a plea of guilty at District Court in Polson on April 6 to aggravated burglary and assault with a weapon. The open pleas ...
POLSON — A Polson man who risked a potentially fatal overdose by attempting to conceal illegal drugs inside his body has admitted to possessing the synthetic opioid fentanyl. Jimmy Justin Glass, 41, was booked into the Lake County jail on New Year’s Eve. He entered a plea of guilty at District Co...
POLSON — An Arlee woman who was charged with causing a fatal head-on collision on U.S. Highway 93 after fleeing a traffic stop in Polson admitted to causing the wreck. Shannon Sierra Haworth, 18, entered a plea of guilty at District Court in Polson on April 7 to felony vehicular homicide while under th...
POLSON — A Marion woman has admitted to stealing a car in Kalispell before being involved in a fatal car wreck with it later in Pablo. Leasa Sierra Moore, now 19, entered a plea of guilty at District Court in Polson on April 7 to felony negligent homicide and no contest to felony theft. According...
POLSON — It was a case of back-to-back guilty pleas for a mother and her son from St. Ignatius charged with crimes stemming from a fatal car wreck last January. Rope Kinkade Ardis, 19, and Roberta Virginia Asencio, 40, appeared at District Court in Polson on April 6 for change of plea hearings. Ardis p...
POLSON — A St. Ignatius woman who admitted to causing a traffic accident that killed another motorist has a chance to avoid prison. Darlene Lesage, 68, pleaded guilty at District Court in Polson on July 15, 2021 to vehicular homicide while under the influence. The plea was entered as part of an agreeme...
MONTANA — When Montana Supreme Court Chief Justice Mike McGrath notified Gov. Greg Gianforte March 7 of Judge Jim Manley’s pending retirement, the announcement set in motion a relatively new process for judicial appointments. In 2021, the legislature passed, and the governor signed into ...
POLSON — For eight years now, District Court Judge Jim Manley has entered the courtrooms in Lake and Sanders County wearing the same black robe his predecessor, C.B. McNeil, wore for 29 years before him. The robe represents both tradition and responsibility. “I never wanted this job,&rdq...
