Gardipe sentenced for drugs, intimidation

A Big Arm man was sentenced in District Court in Polson Oct. 2 to the Montana State Prison for a total of 13 years with eight years suspended.

Junior Gardipe, 37, was already on probation stemming from a 2023 drug possession case. Sentencing was initially deferred in that case, but Gardipe violated the terms of his probation in that matter when he pleaded guilty July 17 to an intimidation charge. The plea was entered as part of an agreement that dismisses one count of assault with a weapon, resolving three separate cases.

According to court records on the evening of June 16, 2023, law enforcement responded to a complaint from a neighbor that Gardipe had shown up at her residence and was banging on her door with a metal pipe. She asked responding officers to warn Gardipe that he was not welcome on her property.

Gardipe was given a verbal warning that he could be cited with trespassing if he entered the neighbor’s property again. Later that same evening, Gardipe returned to the property, approached with a hatchet raised in a threatening manner and tapped one of the neighbor’s foreheads with the hatchet.

“This is what’s going to happen when people call the cops on me,” he said and attempted to head butt the victim. Law enforcement was contacted again following this incident. When they arrived, Gardipe was located across the street from the complaining party and arrested.

Gardipe has a history of using a weapon, such as a machete or hatchet to intimidate people.

Judge Molly Owen had rejected the initial terms of the plea agreement as too lenient and noted that his attitude in court didn’t warrant leniency. After receiving a letter of apology and seeing a change in attitude, she went along with the 13-year term and gave Gardipe credit for time served of 475 days in jail.