Polson man sentenced for felony sexual assault

by Carolyn Hidy Lake County Leader
| July 25, 2019 11:56 AM

Noah Fouty of Polson pleaded guilty to two counts of misdemeanor sexual assault and two counts of felony sexual assault on May 24, 2019, related to incidents in 2016 and 2017.

Lake County District Judge accepted the pleas. Besides being ordered to pay court fees and surcharges, Fouty was sentenced to six months in Lake County Jail for the first misdemeanor; for the second misdemeanor, he received a one-year jail sentence.

For each of the felony pleas, Fouty was given a five-year sentence to the Montana Department of Corrections. The first is to be served concurrently with the misdemeanor sentences, while the second is to be served consecutively, for a total of ten years. In addition, Fouty was ordered to complete chemical dependency treatment.

The Court left it to the discretion of the Department of Corrections to determine appropriate placement.

Lake County Sheriff releases name of crash victim

Lake County Sheriff’s Office released the name of a man killed on Logan Road near the intersection with West Post Creek Rd. outside of Charlo, July 16.

LCSO received notice of a two-vehicle accident with injuries at this site at 1:22 p.m. Upon arrival of first responders, 84-year-old John Wesley Marshall Gardner from Charlo was pronounced deceased as a result of injuries sustained in the crash.

Gardner was reportedly using a golf cart to retrieve his mail from his roadside mailbox when the vehicle was struck by a Honda Accord. The names of the Honda driver and passenger have not been released.

Miller pleads guilty

Melissa Ann Miller of Polson pleaded guilty on June 17, 2019 to one count of felony theft over $5,000 in an embezzlement case at Carquest in Ronan from October 2018 to January 2019. The case was heard before Lake County District Judge James Manley.

Miller admitted to crediting returns of items that had been sold to her credit card. The items had not been returned. Miller’s plea document stated that she took the return money out at an ATM, and turned most of it over to a second defendant, Tracy Matthew VanNess, but used some of it to pay her own bills.

Miller received a sentence suspended for six years, and was ordered to pay restitution of $1,668.52 plus court fees and surcharges.

VanNess hearing rescheduled

An omnibus hearing for Tracy VanNess of Ronan, facing one count of felony theft exceeding $10,000 by embezzlement at Carquest in Ronan, has been rescheduled for September 19, 2019 at 9 a.m. A jury trial is scheduled for October 21, 2019.