TC man pleads not guilty to charges

A Trout Creek man made his first appearance in district court on Tuesday, pleading not guilty to charges after allegedly attempting to start a fire at the Lakeside Motel in Trout Creek and engaging in an hours-long standoff with police.

West Flockerzi appeared before Judge James Manley to enter not guilty pleas to attempted arson, assault with a weapon, assault on a peace officer and two counts of criminal endangerment. Flockerzi is being held in the Sanders County Jail with bail set at $100,000. Judge Manley set a trial date of June 10, 2019 for Flockerzi.

According to charging documents, Flockerzi went to the Lakeside on Nov. 14, pulled out a gun and advised that he was going to burn the place down. Flockerzi then allegedly fled the scene and fired shots through a window at a residence on Larch Street. Flockerzi was eventually arrested in the early hours of Nov. 16. No one was injured during the incident, which included assistance from neighboring agencies, including an armored vehicle from Flathead County and the Missoula County Swat Team.

Also in District Court on Tuesday, Judge Manley sentenced Tosha McLeod to three years with the Department of Corrections on a felony criminal possession of dangerous drugs (methamphetamine) charge. Judge Manley also recommended she receive treatment with the Department of Corrections. He noted that McLeod has multiple felony convictions and said the sentence takes into account her need for treatment and rehabilitation. Additional charges against McLeod were dismissed on Tuesday.

A Hot Springs man received a three-year deferred sentence on Tuesday. Theodore Gibson, Jr., entered an Alford plea last month to possession of a deadly weapon by a prisoner in a facility. “I agree that you deserve a second chance,” Judge Manley told Gibson Tuesday, noting that it was the 57-year-old Gibson’s first felony charge.

Judge Manley on Tuesday dismissed the case of a Thompson Falls man who was arrested on a drug charge earlier this year after an evaluation found him mentally unfit to stand trial. Suede Shuttle had been charged with criminal possession of dangerous drugs (methamphetamine) and criminal possession of drug paraphernalia. Shuttle had been under evaluation at the Montana State Hospital in Warm Springs. State law allowed for him to be held for 90 days to see if fitness for trial could be regained, according to Judge Manley. “They are way above capacity at Warm Springs,” Manley said, “And we don’t have sufficient capacity or ability to treat all the people who need to be treated. That is the situation we have to deal with.”

Theodore Seaman II had his initial appearance in District Court on Tuesday, entering not guilty pleas to driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, fourth or subsequent offence, and a misdemeanor seatbelt violation. Seaman was arrested in Plains on November 26 and submitted to a breathalyzer test in which his blood alcohol level was 1.32, according to charging documents.

Beau Blasius also made his first appearance in court on Tuesday, pleading not guilty to felony strangulation of a partner or family member and a misdemeanor charge of partner or family member assault. Blasius was arrested after officers responded to a report of a domestic situation in Hot Springs on Nov. 8.