Tuesday, November 10, 2026
45.0°F

Alleged dognapper given suspended sentences

DERRICK PERKINS | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 2 years, 3 months AGO
by DERRICK PERKINS
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. | August 11, 2024 12:00 AM

A Kalispell woman brought up on felony charges after a confrontation over an allegedly abducted dog in 2023 received a pair of suspended sentences in Flathead County District Court earlier this year.

Ashley Nicole Smith, 38, faced counts of criminal mischief and criminal possession of dangerous drugs after allegedly ramming her ex-boyfriend's vehicle and threatening him with a gun in Kalispell on Sept. 23, 2023. She pleaded guilty to both in Flathead County District Court in January after striking a deal with prosecutors.  

In exchange, prosecutors agreed to recommended she serve a pair of five-year suspended sentences with the state Department of Corrections. Judge Dan Wilson, who presided over the case, stuck to the terms of the deal at Smith's March 14 sentencing. 

Wilson ordered that the two sentences run concurrently, and that Smith receive 109 days of credit for time served.  

Kalispell Police officers arrested Smith after responding to a report of a motor vehicle accident on the 500 block of Ninth Avenue West that had turned into an armed confrontation, according to court documents. Smith allegedly rammed the victim's car, causing an estimated $1,500 in damage, before threatening him with a gun.  

The confrontation stemmed from the alleged abduction of a dog. The victim told authorities that Smith had previously taken the dog of a mutual friend, who was in the hospital, to a Lore Lake Road house. That resident had phoned the victim earlier in the morning, saying a woman had come by the house and stole away with the animal, according to court documents.  

Suspecting Smith, the victim drove to her home on Kalispell's west end and spotted her in her Dodge pickup with the missing dog, court documents said. Smith allegedly became angry.   

Authorities who searched Smith following her arrest found a glass pipe with white residue and a plastic bag containing a crystalline substance, which was suspected of being methamphetamine, according to court documents.

ARTICLES BY DERRICK PERKINS

Motorist charged with felony for collision with road construction worker in 2025
November 7, 2026 2 a.m.

Motorist charged with felony for collision with road construction worker in 2025

The motorist accused of hitting and seriously injuring a road construction worker near Bigfork in June 2025 is now facing a felony charge in Flathead County District Court.

November 5, 2026 11 p.m.

Man suspected of cutting a bad check to a Kalispell business receives suspended sentence

A man accused of passing a bad check at a Kalispell log home construction company in 2025 earned a suspended sentence earlier this year.

November 4, 2026 11 p.m.

Evergreen father accused of wounding child with shotgun sees charges dropped

Prosecutors dismissed last month the felony case against an Evergreen father accused of wounding his child with a shotgun blast in February.