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Affidavit outlines moments leading up to Pablo shooting Tuesday

by Michelle Lovato? Lake County Leader
| December 18, 2015 4:11 PM

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Ashley Hewankorn

Ashley Rae Hewankorn fired a gun into the shoulder, lung and spine of Karen Finley of Pablo Tuesday, after Finley exited her house and yelled at Ashley Hewankorn to leave, said Benjamin R. Anciaux, Lake County Deputy Prosecutor in an affidavit filed at 12:11 p.m. Friday.

Even though the affidavit outlines how Ashley Rae Hewankorn shot her victim, it was filed in regard to Charlene Hewankorn, who was also present during the shooting, and will face four felony charges for her part in the event. 

Charlene Hewankorn was taken into custody the day of the shooting. Her two alleged accomplices escaped capture. Ashley Rae Hewankorn has not yet been charged with any crime relating to the event.

According to Lake County Court records, the series of events that ended with the shooting of Finley began the day before, when Isaac Fleming, 17 of Ronan, went to Finley’s house to visit his girlfriend.

During the couple’s Dec. 13 visit, a fight broke out that ended in the girlfriend, her mother – Finley– and Matthew Hawkins asking Fleming to leave.

“Hawkins followed Fleming out of the residence,” the affidavit said. “Outside Fleming turned and fired two shots at Hawkins from a gun.”

When Tribal Law and Order officers arrived, they, and other responding officers found two spent shell casings from where Hawkins said Fleming fired at him. Hawkins feared for his life, the records said.

The next day authorities allege that Fleming returned to his girlfriend's house in a vehicle with Ashley Rae Hewankorn as a passenger and Charlene Hewankorn as the driver.

“All three got out and approached the residence,” the affidavit said. “Ashley and Charlene occupied Hawkins while Fleming entered through the front door.”

Hawkins broke away from the two women, however and entered the residence from the back door. Hawkins and Fleming met in the hallway, the affidavit said.

“Fleming had a gun in his hands which he pointed at Hawkins,” the affidavit reads. “Hawkins attempted to take the gun from Fleming. Fleming handed the gun to Ashley Hewankorn. Fleming hit Hawkins in the head.”

The trio of unwelcome visitors then left the residence and returned to the car they drove, the paperwork said.

“Hawkins grabbed something and went to the vehicle and broke a window of the vehicle with what turned out to be hammer,” the affidavit said. “Ashley Hewankorn jumped out of the vehicle with a gun and pointed at Hawkins.”

Hawkins ran away because the gun was aimed at him and he believed that Ashley Hewankorn would shoot him.

“Karen Finley came out of the house and yelled at Ashley Hewankorn and Ashley Hewankorn turned and pointed the gun at Finley and fired,” the affidavit said. “The bullet fired by Ashley Hewankorn hit Finley in the shoulder, hit a bone, was deflected through Finley lung and ended up lodge in Finley’s spine.”

Charlene Hewankorn’s vehicle was later found and she was taken into custody and held on charges of aggravated assault.

Lake County prosecutors are charging Charlene Hewankorn with felony assault with a weapon by accountability; felony aggravated assault with a weapon by accountability; and felony aggravated burglary by accountability.

She was held in custody on a $25,000 bail.

On Dec. 18, Charlene Hewankorn was not in custody.

Ashley Hewankorn was arrested after being spotted by a tipster who called in her location. Ashley Hewankorn is not charged with any crime related to the incident at this time. She is being held on outstanding warrants.

Authorities are still looking for Isaac Fleming. See related stories.

RELATED STORY

FLEMING, 17, SOUGHT IN TUESDAY SHOOTING CASE

Authorities are on the hunt for Isaac Fleming, 17 of Ronan, and suspect he is involved in the Pablo shooting of a woman Dec. 14.

The suspected shooter, Ashley Hewankorn, was taken into custody late Tuesday night after the FBI was tipped off that she was hitchhiking in northern Montana.

Fleming is also wanted in connection to previous criminal activity, Don Bell, Lake County Sheriff said.  Fleming is on juvenile parole and has outstanding warrants.

LCSO Deputies and Tribal Police are actively searching for Fleming. If you have knowledge of his whereabouts please contact your local law enforcement agency. 

 Fleming is 5'10, 160 lb, Caucasian, with blue eyes and light brown hair.

RELATED STORY

ASHLEY RAE HEWANKORN IDed AS SUSPECTED SHOOTER

Pablo shooting suspect Ashley Rae Hewankorn, 28, was arrested Wednesday in Glacier County.

Hewankorn will be charged with felony assault with a weapon, according to a press release issued by the Lake County Sheriff's Office.

She was caught in Glacier County after authorities received a tip on Wednesday that she was hitchhiking to Browning. She was caught within an hour by Glacier County Sheriff's Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Law enforcement officials across the county are looking for Ashley Rae Hewankorn, the woman they believe shot another woman in Pablo Dec. 14.

Don Bell, Lake County Sheriff said that Hewankorn is 5’5” tall, weighs 150 pounds, has brown hair, brown eyes and is Native American according to a Lake County Sheriff’s Department press release.

Hewankorn has outstanding warrants in Lake County as well as being the shooting suspect. Her victim is recovering in the hospital.

Authorities believe Hewankorn shot another woman at a private address Dec. 14. Hewankorn also has a current case working through the Lake County Court system related to check fraud.

The shooting forced the lockdown of Pablo Elementary School for several hours.

The shot woman was transported to an area hospital for care, Don Bell, Lake County Sheriff said.

The victim was airlifted from St. Luke’s Community Hospital to Kalispell Regional Hospital.

Witnesses said that a blue-grey sedan with a missing passenger’s side window and missing front grill is believed to have fled from the scene.

Shortly after arriving on scene, several law enforcement agencies began a search for the suspect vehicle, which was later found at another private home in Pablo.

Bell said that three people are wanted in connection to the shooting incident, though one appears to be only a witness.

Officers from the Montana Highway Patrol, Tribal Law and Order, Polson Police Department and Lake County Sheriff’s Department responded to the scene.

If anyone has information regarding this incident, they are asked to call the Lake County Sheriff’s Department at 406-883-7201.

Ashley Rae Hewankorn was arraigned on four counts of felony burglary Sept. 9, seven months after the Lake County Prosecuting Attorney’s office filed formal paperwork in her case and nearly two years after the alleged crime occurred, according to a Lake County Court affidavit.

Hewankorn, whose jury trial is set for Feb. 16, 2016, spend much of those seven months, however, interacting with law enforcement in other ways.

According to Lake County Court records, Hewankorn was arrested by Tribal police in February on undisclosed and unrelated charges.

In March she was seen attempting to pass a bad check at a Ronan business, court records said. Hewankorn’s plan was thwarted, however, after the clerk recognized Hewankorn and knew the check she was trying to pass was fraudulent.

The bogus checkbook was reported stolen from a local residence when a perpetrator broke into the house through a back window, records said.

Records show that Hewankorn was seen on Walmart and Muralts surveillance cameras attempting to pass checks from the same checkbook.

The Lake County Prosecuting Attorney’s office filed another, separate case for one count of felony burglary and two counts of felony forgery against Hewankorn in June.

Hewankorn’s trouble multiplied when she failed to appear for her required April arraignment on the 2013 charges. That earned Hewankorn a May arrest warrant, the records said.

While avoiding her September 2013 arrest arraignment, the Lake County Prosecuting attorney’s office filed a third set of paperwork. This time, the affidavit claimed that Hewankorn was in possession of methamphetamines during a Tribal warrant arrest in Polson in December 2014.

Hewankorn’s oldest accusations began on Sept. 7, 2013 after an anonymous tipster called the Crimestoppers hotline with information related to a recent burglary, according to a Lake County Court affidavit.

The informant told police that Hewankorn could be found at Pablo Foods grocery store with stolen merchandise in her car.

Responding law enforcement officers arrived on scene and found Hewankorn’s car in the parking lot, and Hewankorn fleeing from the back door, the affidavit said.

When investigators searched Hewankorn’s vehicle, they found several rifles and another woman’s checkbook in her car, the records said.

While being questioned by police, Hewankorn took responsibility for four 2013 burglaries that netted her two more checkbooks, on of which came from a relative, the records said.