Fitch sentenced for burglary

A Pablo man who appeared in Polson District Court Sept. 27 was committed to five years with the Montana Department of Corrections with no time suspended on a burglary conviction. Casper Quade Fitch, 39, entered a plea agreement that amended aggravated burglary to burglary and went straight to sentencing.

According to court records, on Feb. 28, 2023, a Pablo woman called law enforcement to report that Fitch and his wife were yelling at each other outside of their residence. Lake County Sheriff’s Deputy Mark Williams responded and was told by the reporting party’s husband that he observed Fitch enter a neighbor’s residence and assault him.

When questioned, the alleged victim told Deputy Williams that he was asleep in his residence when Fitch entered his home without his permission and slapped him numerous times. He told Deputy Williams that Fitch threatened to “skin him alive and watch him bleed.”

The alleged victim was able to get out of the residence, but the assault continued. Deputy Williams went to the Fitch residence and arrested him. As Fitch was being led to the patrol car he allegedly made two more threats depicting violence with explicit language.

When asked by the deputy what he was referring to Fitch did not answer. The charging documents do not specify a motive for the incident.

Judge Molly Owen gave Fitch credit for having already served 186 days in the Lake County Jail and ordered the sentence run consecutive to probation he is serving out of Garfield County dating from 2017.