20th Judicial District Court agenda topped by DUI and drug cases

Mike Cast, Leader Staff

The top charges filed in Montana's 20th Judicial District Court over the past four years have been drug and alcohol related, according to District Judge Kim Christopher. As of Oct. 8, there have been a total of 120 DUI cases for fourth-time or subsequent offenders and 110 cases of criminal drug distribution and possession charges combined.

The other charges which rank on the top six were theft (57 charges), assault with a weapon (45) and burglary (37). While all crime is a major concern, the drug and DUI cases seem to be the most prevalent in the high court, said Christopher. She also said drugs and alcohol have been contributing to crime in Lake County for some time.

"It's not a major surprise. I do think it is a major problem," Christopher said.

The problem is ongoing and departments from the District Attorney's office to the Sheriff's Department deal with it every day.

Lake County District Attorney Mitch Young said the numbers for DUI charges in the District were on a course to be in the same range this year as in 2007, when there were 39 DUI charges.

"It seems to be a pretty consistent problem," Young said.

He remembers his earlier days in the office, when DUI offenders faced a tougher policy.

The policy called for a ten-day jail sentence for first-time offenders, a 30-day sentence for second offenders, and a 90-day sentence for third-time offenders.

Young added that offenders of more than four or five times usually have an alcohol addiction that requires rehabilitation.

In 2007 there were 12 charges of criminal distribution of drugs charges, and 25 possession of dangerous drugs charges, while there are only five criminal distribution of drug charges and nine possession of dangerous drug charge in the 20th Judicial District Court this year so far.

Young does not see this as an indication that drug use and sales are down.

"Really we just scratch the surface of what's going on," he said.

Instead Young pointed to the expiration of a government grant that may have left law enforcement short handed. The Northwest Drug Task Force of Montana, which joins Lake, Lincoln, Sanders, and Flathead county Sheriff departments and the Tribal police in an effort to reduce drug related crimes, has been receiving an Edward Byrne Memorial grant from the federal government for years until this summer when it was not renewed, Lake County Sheriff Lucky Larson verified.

The grant money was being used to instate an extra detective in the Lake County Sheriff's Department and on the Tribal police force for the purpose of preventing drug related crime, positions that were eliminated when the grant expired.

Larson said that the loss of the grant has not slowed the department in its efforts to tackle the drug problem.

"It's obviously more work for the task force and these (from the Lake County Sheriff's Dept.) officers," Larson said.

The abuse of prescription drugs has emerged as a huge problem on the streets of Lake County, Young said. OxyContin, a painkiller, is one of the big sellers, he said.

As Lake County grows, the need to address the pressing criminal issues is increasing.

Lake County Detention Supervisor Lonnie Erickson said the amount of calls coming through dispatch have increased rapidly over the past few years. There has been an increase in city/county emergency services calls to dispatch from around 2800 in 2005 to over 3250 in 2008. Over the last ten years the number of these calls has doubled.