20th Judicial District Court News
Peone pleads not guilty to possession of dangerous drugs
Desiree Mocalee Peone, 38, of St. Ignatius appeared in Judge Deborah “Kim” Christopher’s court on April 20 and pleaded not guilty to five counts of criminal possession of dangerous drugs.
An omnibus hearing was scheduled for Aug. 24 with a jury trial set for Oct 23.
Peone was first arrested on March 2, 2022, when a law enforcement officer spotted a car with expired plates in Ronan and pulled the vehicle over. He noticed alcohol containers in the car and saw a clear pouch containing multicolored rubber containers. When asked about whether there was anything in the rubber vessels, Peone said there was marijuana. She allowed the officer to search the containers, and he found a teal pill inside.
Peone refused to let the officer search the car. After a warrant was obtained, the officer searched it and found a plastic baggie full of white powder. The powder and the pill were forwarded to the Montana State Crime Laboratory and were identified as methamphetamine.
In the second case, on March 26, 2022, an officer tried to stop a car because he saw Peone in the back seat of a vehicle and knew there was a warrant out on her. The driver of the car refused to stop and led the officer on a 100 mph chase through Arlee.
When the officer finally stopped the car, the driver said he had a warrant out on him in Washington and didn’t want to be apprehended. The car’s owner refused to let the officer search the car. When a search warrant was obtained, the officer found a baggie containing white powder in the driver’s side door and pills labeled M-30 in a purse with items of Peone’s. He also found some tin foil containing a brown substance with some paper and Peone’s name on them.
All three items were sent to the Montana State Crime Lab. The baggie contained fentanyl, the pills were methamphetamine, and the tin foil contained heroin.
The third case stems from a May 22, 2022, arrest. A law enforcement officer observed a silver Lexus with a large crack in the windshield and stopped the car, which was driven by Peone. The officer observed Peone “frantically moving around and digging” in the center console.
As the officer came up to the car, Peone exited the vehicle and closed the door. Peone had an active warrant out on her so she was arrested, and a search warrant was obtained for the vehicle. As the officer was searching the car, he found tin foil with burn marks and residue and other drug paraphernalia. The Montana State Crime Laboratory identified fentanyl on the foil.
St. Ignatius woman pleads to five charges
In a plea agreement in Judge Christopher’s court on April 20, Quianna Leigh Haynes, 22, pleaded guilty to bail jumping and four charges of burglary, all felonies, and was found guilty of all five charges. Haynes will be sentenced on June 8.
The bail jumping charge came about after Haynes was released on her own recognizance on April 4 to staff of Royal Life Centers, an alcohol and drug rehab facility. Staff at the facility let Haynes’ attorney and the deputy Lake County attorney prosecuting the case know that on her way to the treatment center, Haynes “absconded” from the vehicle, and they’ve not been able to get in touch with her since April 6.
The court revoked Haynes’s own recognizance bond, issued a warrant for her arrest, and requested a $75,000 bond since she violated the conditions of her release. Haynes was apprehended on April 11.
Haynes’ first burglary charge stems from April 11, 2022, when Haynes’ grandmother reported a burglary at her home. A window in the home had been broken and an X-Box, a TV, and other property was missing. A deputy questioned Haynes, who first denied taking the items, and then on April 30, 2022, told the deputy she and her boyfriend broke into the residence, took the items and sold them.
While she was in custody for this burglary, St. Ignatius Chief of Police Jason Acheson questioned Haynes about three burglaries that took place around and in St. Ignatius during a 72-hour period beginning March 12, 2023. She was charged with these burglaries on March 30.
Jury trial set for drug case
Anglie Quequesah pleaded not guilty to a felony charge of criminal possession of dangerous drugs in Christoher’s court on April 20. An omnibus hearing was scheduled for Aug. 24 with a jury trial on Oct. 23.
Quequesah’s charges stem from a Feb. 6, 2023, traffic stop. Local law enforcement received a tip that a person with 100 fentanyl pills on him was en route to Pablo, and this person also had an outstanding warrant.
When the stop was made, Quequesah was driving. The passenger with the warrant on him said he had thrown the baggie of fentanyl pills out the window, and he had drug paraphernalia on him.
Quequesah consented to a search of her purse, and officers found a glass pipe with a white substance in it. The Montana State Crime Lab determined there was methamphetamine on the pipe.