Francis arraigned on murder, attempted murder charges

A California man accused of murder and attempted murder appeared in District Court in Polson for an arraignment hearing on March 6. Cameron Francis, 49, entered a plea of not guilty to deliberate homicide and attempted deliberate homicide.

According to charging documents, the charges stem from an incident late the night of Feb. 14. Francis allegedly fired approximately 20 rounds from an assault rifle at Polson Police officer Michael Wharton’s patrol car before he fled. The rounds showered the officer with broken glass and caused extensive damage to his vehicle.

Francis was apprehended within an hour in the Elmo area.

A request for a welfare check on Francis’s girlfriend the following Sunday, Feb. 16, led police to her dead body. Lake County Attorney James Lapokta explained in charging documents that Kimberly Goodson, 48, died from a single gunshot to the face. Shell casings at both scenes matched an assault rifle found in the Honda Accord – registered to Goodson – that Francis was driving when he shot at the officer on Feb. 14.

Records show Francis has a lengthy criminal history in the state of California.

Judge John A. Mercer set a trial date of July 21 and modified the suspect’s bail from $5,000,000 to a no-bond hold due to the serious nature of the alleged crimes.