A Flathead County man was sent to Montana State Prison on Thursday after appearing in court for an eleventh felony charge.

Judge Robert Allison noted the numerous times Joseph Castell, 47, had been charged with felonies as he gave the man a 7-year commitment to prison for a 2010 felony intimidation that will run concurrent to a 10-year, with three years suspended sentence for a 2015 criminal endangerment charge.

The criminal endangerment charge resulted after a July 19 incident where Castell tried to evade a sheriff’s deputy who had shown up at Bierney Creek road to arrest him for absconding probation.

Castell backed into a sheriff’s deputies’ car and tried to take off, but the deputy managed to spin Castell’s vehicle and stop him. Castell did not cooperate with the deputy afterward and baggies that had powder residue in them were found in his vehicle.

Allison said that he wanted to impose a more stringent sentence given Castell’s troubled past but that he would follow the recommendation of the prosecuting and defense attorney in the case.

“It seems as though you are a likable guy but for some reason it seems like you can’t not commit felonies,” Allison said.

Castell and a family friend who testified in his favor blamed the behavior on the fact that Castell’s father died at a young age and that he was left in the care of an alcoholic mother. Castell said that he needed mental health treatment.

“There’s a lot of things I do not understand,” Castell said. “I think with treatment I would do a lot better.”

Defense attorney Vicki Frazier said that Castell also has an outstanding balance of 1.5 years on another conviction that he will have to serve in addition to the sentences handed down Thursday.

Reporter Megan Strickland can be reached at 758-4459 or [email protected].