News briefs, Sept. 2

Duryee on administrative leave

Lake County Deputy Sheriff Daniel Duryee has been placed on paid administrative leave as an ongoing investigation into his military service continues, according to documents obtained by the Lake County Leader.

Effective Aug. 25, the leave coincides with an investigation by the Montana Public Safety Officer Standards and Training (POST) Council into allegations that Duryee lied about serving during the first Gulf War as a U.S. Marine. The Montana Public Safety Officer Standards and Training (POST) Council is a quasi-judicial board authorized by Section 2-15-2029 of Montana Code Annotated and serves for administrative services only, according to its website.

Several Lake County citizens, including some county sheriff deputies, headed to Helena to voice their concerns about Duryee during the POST Council's quarterly meeting on Aug. 19. Though not on the agenda, a few spoke up during the public comment portion of the meeting, including Terry Leonard, a former deputy himself.

POST Investigator Clay Coker said his part of examining the issue was completed and the investigation now lies with Sheriff Lucky Larson and POST Director Wayne Ternes.

"There are four or five steps in the whole process and my part is finished," Coker said. "They will discuss a resolution. Wayne could close it or forward it to a hearing officer, who could ask for a suspension of [Duryee's] certificate."

Director Ternes would not comment on the issue, saying "there is no resolution" and that the case is "still open."

"We have 30 cases open across the state," Ternes said. "These are things that take up the bulk of our work."

Sheriff Larson also would not comment on the investigation, stating Monday that it is a "personnel matter" and not a public matter.

-Reporter Sasha Goldstein

Vandal charged

POLSON - A man accused of causing close to $80,000 in damages to the Charlo School in 2008 will face charges in connection with the incident.

Geoffery Baldridge, 21, pleaded not guilty to charges of burglary and criminal mischief, both felonies, in addition to a misdemeanor count of theft while appearing in District Court last Wednesday.

Baldridge and former co-defendant Jacob Seibert, both 18 at the time of the incident, originally had the same charges dropped after agreeing to pay restitution in a March 2009 plea agreement. The deferred prosecution agreement required each man to pay $10,000 each, per year, for four years to the Charlo School. Baldridge failed to pay any restitution in the 17 months since the agreement and thus, charges were re-filed, deputy county attorney Cory Allen said.

According to court documents, Baldridge and Seibert are suspected of discharging multiple fire extinguishers inside several classrooms, damaging computers, spray-painting doors in a graffiti fashion and mutilating an American flag on the night of May 23, 2008. The alleged vandal attack on public school property caused an estimated $76,000 in damages.

Baldridge faces up to 20 years in prison and $50,000 in fines.

-Reporter Sasha Goldstein

Mission Falls trail temporary closure

The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes have implemented a temporary closure to all human use for the entire 3.5 miles of the Mission Creek drainage in the Mission Mountains Tribal Wilderness, also known as the Mission Falls trail. On Aug. 19, Tribal Game Wardens received a report of a black bear encounter on the trail to Mission Falls. Mission Falls Trail is located east of St. Ignatius.

The closure will protect bears that may be in the area from potential human/bear conflicts.

"This type of closure is common for all trails in the Mission Mountains Tribal Wilderness when there is a report of a bear encounter on the trail," Brian Ducharme, Sergeant, Tribal Game Wardens, said.

This closure is to protect both people and bears from potential conflicts and will remain in effect until an investigation has been completed and a determination has been made that the area is safe from further conflict.

Visitors to the Mission Mountains Tribal Wilderness can contact the Division of Fish, Wildlife, Recreation and Conservation for the most current information regarding bear activity in the Mission Mountains Tribal Wilderness.

For additional information on the closure contact Germaine White, Information and Education Specialist or Pablo Espinoza, Chief of Tribal Game Wardens at 883-2888.

-Courtesy of Germaine White

Pitts graduates

SPOKANE, Wash. - Whitney Pitts, of Polson, has been awarded a BA degree from Whitworth University. Located in Spokane, Wash., Whitworth is a private, liberal arts university affiliated with the Presbyterian Church. The university, which enrolls 2,700 students, offers more than 50 undergraduate and graduate programs.

-Courtesy of Whitworth

University.

Mission Valley healing room closed

The Mission Valley Healing room will be closed for the next three weeks for further training.

-Courtesy of Theresa Haack

Fire extinguished

FLATHEAD RESERVATION - A large fire along the Little Bitterroot Road between Ronan and Hot Springs has been extinguished, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes Fire Prevention and Information Specialist Devlin Lafrombois said Tuesday morning.

"Right now the fire is in patrol status," he said. "The cause is still under investigation."

The 751-acre blaze began Thursday night around 8:30 p.m., Lafrombois said, about two or three miles past Sloan's Bridge in Ronan. The Cut Off Fire began near a gravel pit, he said, and aided by dry and windy conditions, raced up a steep slope into juniper, sagebrush and scattered pine trees.

"There were 40 to 45 mile per hour winds that night and there's real steep slope there, so the terrain helped push it up the hill," Lafrombois said.

Tribal Division of Fire responded with three 20 man crews, four or five Division of Fire engine crews, two dozers, two skidgens, a helicopter and a single engine air tanker (SEAT) plane. A skidgen is similar to a dozer but has wheels, a water tank and a blade.

"We have a few engines patrolling it, making sure it's not doing anything," Lafrombois said.

By Saturday, the fire was considered contained and Lafrombois said the closest residence, a quarter-mile away, was never threatened by the blaze.

"It appears to be human caused but it's still under investigation and hasn't been determined yet," he said.

-Reporter Sasha Goldstein