A woman accused of murder in Sanders County is an employee of the Abbie Shelter, a Kalispell-based neighborhood domestic and sexual violence service provider.

Rachel Ann Bellesen, of Lakeside, is accused of shooting Jacob Angelo Glace in the Paradise area on the night of Thursday, Oct. 8.

According to Sanders County Attorney Naomi Leisz, Bellesen, who is charged with deliberate homicide, made her initial appearance in Sanders County Justice Court Friday afternoon and her preliminary hearing was scheduled for Oct. 19. She is being held in the Sanders County Jail on $500,000 bond.

According to information on Bellesen's LinkedIn page, she is listed as the shelter coordinator on its website at abbieshelter.org.

Abbie Shelter Executive Director Hilary Shaw believes the shooting was in self-defense.

"We are taking the position the charges should be dropped against Rachel and she killed him in self defense," Shaw said.

Shaw also released a statement Monday afternoon.

“The Abbie Shelter is deeply grieved that our community member and colleague, Shelter Coordinator Rachel Bellesen, has been charged with deliberate homicide in Sanders County for killing her abusive ex-husband in her own self-defense,” Shaw wrote. “Based on our knowledge of the information available, this is our organization’s position. We are stunned to have a member of our staff on the receiving end of the very injustice we work so hard to prevent and oppose in our community. We understand that the investigation of the incident is ongoing and what occurred was part of a private matter, outside of any professional responsibilities with the Abbie Shelter.

“The Abbie Shelter is like a family, and we stand in support of one another in the most trying of times. To be clear, this is a tragedy,” the statement continued. “Even as the case remains open, our work with any survivor is that of safety and advocacy. It is a reminder of the critical work that we do at the Abbie Shelter: domestic violence can impact anyone, at any time, and even people working in the field are not immune to its effects. We ask that the community respect the privacy of our staff and allow law enforcement and the judicial system to conduct its work. Abbie Shelter services — including legal advocacy, mental health, and shelter — will continue uninterrupted. Our phones and doors are open to all who need us.”

Abbie Shelter is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization which provides domestic and sexual violence services.

Glace's LinkedIn page described him as the owner of Angelo's Carpet Cleaning Service and a Plains volunteer firefighter.

Scott Shindledecker may be reached at 406-758-441 or at [email protected].