High court denies rapists appeal

The Montana Supreme Court has denied the appeal of a Polson man whose public defender found that he had no basis for appealing a 2014 conviction for sexually assaulting an ex-girlfriend.

“We conclude there are no arguments with potential legal merit that could be raised on appeal in this case,” Montana Supreme Court Chief Justice Mike McGrath wrote.

Dennis Jay Hobbs, 58, is currently in Idaho, serving eight more years of a sentence for aggravated battery in.

Once he is released in July 2024 for that sentence, he’ll be sent to Montana to begin another 50-year prison term for sexually assaulting his ex-girlfriend in Lake County in 2013.

Hobbs received a 50-year prison sentence in September 2014 for two counts of sexual intercourse without consent, one count of tampering with witnesses and informants, and one count of stalking.

The convictions resulted after Hobbs sexually assaulted the woman. He then posted $100,000 bond after he was arrested in August 2013, stalked her and allegedly tried to have someone kill her. As part of a plea agreement charges related to murder-for-hire were dropped, but according to court documents Hobbs allegedly told a man in fall 2013 that if he killed the woman he would give the killer a map to an “isolated residence filled with guns, coins and other expensive items.”

The killer could help himself to the loot, court records claim.

Hobbs tried to appeal to the Montana Supreme Court in December 2014, but public defender Lisa S. Korchinski asked to withdraw as counsel in February.

“Conscientious examination of the record, along with thorough research compels a conclusion that Mr. Hobbs’ appeal has no merit,” Korchinski wrote in her motion to withdraw as counsel.

Hobbs asked the court to reconsider because his family has allegedly not been returned property that was seized during the investigation, as promised in a plea agreement.

The high court denied the request.