A 31-year-old Columbia Falls man pleaded not guilty in Flathead County District Court on May 22 to assaulting his girlfriend and possessing methamphetamine.

Joseph Boles faces up to five years and a $50,000 fine if convicted of felony criminal possession of dangerous drugs and up to six months and a $1,000 fine if convicted of misdemeanor partner-family member assault.

According to court records, police officers responded to a domestic disturbance call at a trailer house on April 6 where a woman said her boyfriend had assaulted her, biting her and pinning her to a bed. A bite mark was visible on her arm.

Boles was located at a residence on Sullivan Road in Columbia Falls and was arrested. During booking, a search turned up a small jewel bag in his pants pocket that contained 0.3 grams of a white powder that field-tested positively as meth.

Boles was assigned a public defender and posted a $2,000 bond five days later. He was released with a SCRAM bracelet and a drug patch to ensure compliance with his release conditions.

Boles allegedly failed to show up on April 24 to have his drug patch changed out, and the county attorney’s office filed a petition to revoke his bond on May 1.

During a court appearance on May 20 to determine if he was eligible for a public defender, Judge David Ortley ordered Boles remanded to the custody of the sheriff’s office on a $20,000 bond.