Dionne remains in jail awaiting mental health evaluation
DERRICK PERKINS | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 4 years, 7 months AGO
NEWS EDITOR Derrick Perkins serves as News Editor at the Daily Inter Lake. He oversees daily news coverage and works closely with reporters to plan, edit and publish stories across print and digital platforms. Perkins helps coordinate coverage of local government, public safety, business and community developments throughout Northwest Montana. He works with the reporting staff to strengthen journalism while maintaining consistent daily coverage. His role helps ensure the newsroom delivers timely, accurate reporting that readers rely on. IMPACT: Derrick’s work keeps readers informed about the decisions and events shaping their communities every day. | March 18, 2022 7:00 AM
A Polson man arrested in August for posing as a federal marshal using a fake badge remains jailed in Libby awaiting a mental health evaluation nearly three months after changing his plea.
Pernell Dionne, 36, pleaded guilty to a single count of impersonating a public servant in Lincoln County District Court on Dec. 22. At the time, his attorney told the court he was hoping to arrange a mental health evaluation at the Montana State Hospital before a sentencing.
Dionne appeared back in court on March 14 from the Lincoln County Detention Center via videoconference software for a status update. A representative from the State Mental Hospital told the court that the list to get into the facility was 56 individual long and estimated Dionne’s wait at another four weeks.
The Warm Springs facility came under scrutiny earlier this year after federal officials with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services slapped an “immediate jeopardy” label on the hospital.
According to MTPR, which obtained a copy of the federal report, inspectors discovered that one patient died after falling 13 times in a month, one resulting in serious injury. The report also deemed the facility’s COVID-19 mitigation efforts as subpar, leading to 90 patients sick with the illness and three deaths.
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