Manslaughter suspect faces more charges
KEITH KINNAIRD | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 7 years, 2 months AGO
SANDPOINT — Criminal charges continue to pile up against a Bonner County man awaiting trial on a felony vehicular manslaughter charge.
Peter Franklin Goullette was charged with witness intimidation and two additional counts of violating a no-contact order. He made another initial court appearance on Friday via video feed from the Bonner County Jail, where his bail was set at $25,000, according to court records.
It’s the 13th criminal charge brought against Goullette since March 18, when he allegedly burst into a Sagle Road home and attacked one man and threatened another with a baseball bat.
He allegedly threatened the alleged victims and witnesses during the incident, resulting in three counts of witness intimidation. He was subsequently charged with aggravated assault for allegedly threatening a third witness and misdemeanor battery for allegedly pushing his girlfriend to ground during the confrontation and then violating a no-contact order on three occasions.
Two more no-contact order violations were filed on Thursday, after he allegedly attempted to enlist two different third parties to communicate with his girlfriend. He’s further accused of attempting to use one of the third parties to try and persuade the bat attack victim to recant his allegations, resulting in a fifth witness intimidation charge.
A probable cause affidavit alleges that Goullette was involved in a video visitation at the jail on March 26 when he recited a poem to another man, who took note of the stanzas in his phone and sent them electronically to Goullette’s girlfriend, who is the protected party in the no-contact order. Goullette also attempted to use a jail chaplain to relay a verbal message to the woman.
Also implicated in the no-contact order violations is Steven Ronald Ennis Jr., an inmate awaiting trial on lewd conduct and sexual abuse of a minor charges.
Ennis, 54, of Mission Viejo, Calif., is accused of attempting to influence the testimony of Goullette’s girlfriend over the phone call from the jail on March 21. He also accused of aiding and abetting Goullette’s no-contact order violation on the same day.
Ennis’ bail on the new charges was set at $50,000. He’s scheduled to be tried on the lewd conduct and sex charges in May.
Preliminary hearings on the new charges for both men are set for April 11.
Goullette, 24, is scheduled to be tried on the vehicular manslaughter and reckless driving charges next month. He is accused of accidentally killing Katherine K. Stelzer, a 61-year-old Mead, Wash., resident and severely injuring Zualita Updike of Clark Fork with his pickup truck in June 2016. The two women were walking along McGhee Road when they were struck.
Keith Kinnaird can be reached by email at kkinnaird@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow him on Twitter @KeithDailyBee.
ARTICLES BY KEITH KINNAIRD
Revett seeks clarity on Rock Creek mine status
A status conference is pending in federal court to determine if developers of the proposed Rock Creek mine can initiate development of the project.
Former pastor imprisoned for touching young girl
SANDPOINT, Idaho — A district judge declined to go along with a plea agreement which proposed a limited jail sentence for a former pastor who pleaded guilty to fondling a Priest Lake girl several years ago.

Judge orders life sentence in Bristow murder
Acosta ordered to serve life in prison for Bristow killing