20th Judicial District Court News
Croft faces revocation of suspended sentences
Lewis Croft came before District Court Judge Molly Owen on April 11 for a hearing on a petition to revoke his suspended sentences for felony sexual assault, and misdemeanor sexual assault.
Croft, 88, is incarcerated in the Montana State Prison so the hearing was on Zoom. Since Croft’s health history was presented, the prison officials requested that the room be cleared. Since that wasn’t possible, Judge Owen appointed the Office of Public Defender to represent Croft and continued the hearing until May 3.
The petition to revoke stems from Dec. 6, 2022, when prison authorities reported a probation and parole non-compliance violation. Croft had been enrolled in the Sex Offender Program since July 13, 2021, but hasn’t completed the required coursework.
He was originally arraigned in 2017 on felony sexual intercourse without consent and felony sexual assault.
Under a plea agreement in 2018, Croft pleaded guilty to amended offenses but was required to complete Sex Offender 1 and 2 before being eligible for parole. He was sentenced to 20 years in the Montana State Prison with 10 years suspended for felony sexual assault and to 180 days in the Lake County Jail with no days suspended for the misdemeanor with the two sentences to run concurrently. He also was required to pay $3,771.36 restitution.
According to court records, from 1993 to 2005, Croft subjected a girl who was between the ages of 4 and 16 to repeated sexual intercourse without consent. He also groped a second young girl,
who was between the ages of 6 and 8 at that time.
Judge Christopher releases Seyler
On April 13, District Court Judge Deborah “Kim” Christopher sentenced Eugene Michael Seyler to the Department of Corrections for two years. He was given credit for 832 days time served and has been released.
Seyler was originally arrested in 2019 for felony criminal possession of dangerous drugs and was sentenced to two years with the Department of Corrections with two years suspended. He was credited with 326 days time served and the sentence was set to expire on Jan. 13, 2021.
However, a reported violation and a petition to revoke were both filed on May 29, 2020, and he was arrested in Fergus County where he eventually admitted to the violation. He spent nearly a year in the Fergus County Jail before being transferred to the Montana State Hospital.
He returned to Fergus County custody on Aug. 11, 2021 , where he remained until he was sentenced on Feb. 22, 2022.
At sentencing, Seyler was committed to the Montana Department of Health and Human Services for a term of seven years with two years suspended, and returned to the Montana State Hospital where he remained until March 24. Then he was served with a warrant and returned to the Lake County Detention Center.
Seyler’s attorney Bre Koffman asked that the court discharge Seyler’s sentence since he had completed more than two years in custody.
Koffman noted that the defendant “has spent 1,158 days in custody, which far exceeds the maximum possible two-year sentence allowed upon revocation.”