Saturday, March 28, 2026
46.0°F

20th Judicial District Court News

BERL TISKUS | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 2 years, 8 months AGO
by BERL TISKUS
Reporter Berl Tiskus joined the Lake County Leader team in early March 2023, and covers Ronan City Council, schools, ag and business. Berl grew up on a ranch in Wyoming and earned a degree in English education from MSU-Billings and a degree in elementary education from the University of Montana. Since moving to Polson three decades ago, she’s worked as a substitute teacher, a reporter for the Valley Journal and a secretary for Lake County Extension. Contact her at [email protected] or 406-883-4343. | July 6, 2023 12:00 AM

Bockman sentenced to five years for felony theft

Elliot Wayne Bockman was sentenced in Judge Molly Owen’s court on June 28. He was committed to the Department of Corrections for 10 years, with five years suspended, for felony theft valued at more than $5,000.

Bockman’s case stems from Nov. 23, 2017, when a Polson police officer received a call that a man’s 2016 Ford F150 pickup had been stolen and was headed towards Pablo. A tribal police officer located the vehicle in front of a residence on Clairmont Road in Polson.

Bockman was sitting in the driver’s side seat of the vehicle when the officer arrived. He was placed under arrest and in a subsequent search a Clonazcpam pill was discovered under Bockman’s leg.

The man who owned the pickup said he didn’t know Bockman and did not give him permission to use the pickup, resulting in a charge of felony theft.

Bockman did not appear in court and a warrant for his arrest was issued Nov. 15, 2018. He was picked up on the warrant on April 18, 2023.

In a plea agreement on April 27, Bockman agreed to plead guilty to an amended offense of felony theft, value over $5,000. The state and the defense jointly recommend Bockman be committed to the Department of Corrections for 10 years with five years suspended. They recommended he be placed at Nexus and then pre-release. In exchange, the state agreed to dismiss four Lake County Justice Court tickets for criminal possession of dangerous drugs – three of those were felony charges.

Carpenter receives deferred sentence for partner endangerment

Judge Molly Owen saw Isaac Thomas Carpenter in her court on June 28 for sentencing. Carpenter is charged with one count of felony criminal endangerment of partner or family member. Imposition of his sentence was deferred for three years. He received credit for four days served in jail, and was committed to the Adult Probation and Parole Department.

The case began on Feb. 10, 2023, when a woman called 911 to report that her boyfriend, Issac Thomas Carpenter, tried to choke her. After two deputies arrived and interviewed her, the victim said when she entered the house, Carpenter threw her down, beat her up, and then tried to choke her. The victim stated she couldn’t breathe and was trying to push him off.

She tried to get out the front door, and Thomas knocked her into something and knocked her out. She woke up outside the house on the porch with Thomas kicking her and yelling. When asked how he choked her, the victim said Thomas put his forearm against the front of her throat and began to put pressure on her throat.

The deputies observed an injury on the inside of her lip, a goose egg on the back of her head, her face was covered in blood, and her bottom lip was swollen. An officer also reported a cut on the side of her nose and red marks on each side of her throat.

When she removed her coat, the officer saw blood all over the front of her, and there was blood all over the kitchen floor. The victim and Thomas had been dating for approximately 10 months. The victim went to the hospital for medical care; her nose was broken.

Carpenter was charged with one count of felony strangulation of partner or family member.

ARTICLES BY BERL TISKUS

Car Class: Ronan students gain automotive know-how
March 26, 2026 midnight

Car Class: Ronan students gain automotive know-how

The automotive shop at the Boys and Girls Club in Ronan looks like the real deal. The three-bay shop boasts a lift in one bay, compliments of Don Aadsen Ford, and is equipped with automotive supplies and tools, vehicles and parts. The young mechanics working there are Ronan Charter Academy students, who attend either a morning or an afternoon session three days a week.

Rain fails to quench St. Paddy’s Day parade or spirits
March 26, 2026 midnight

Rain fails to quench St. Paddy’s Day parade or spirits

It’s always a guessing game on St Patrick’s Day - will it be stormy or sunny (or both)? As someone whose birthday is on March 17, I can tell you the scales tip heavily towards stormy and last Tuesday was no exception.

Ronan City Council OKs pawn shop, adds Melton to police board
March 19, 2026 midnight

Ronan City Council OKs pawn shop, adds Melton to police board

Ronan’s City Council meeting on March 11 saw the council selecting former council member Marlene Melton to serve on Ronan’s Police Board. In other business, council members discussed the Ronan Board of Adjustment’s suggestion to add “pawn shop” to the uses for the parcel of land located at 35958 Round Butte Road, but not the entire subdivision.