A St. Ignatius man received his sentence in District Court in Polson Dec. 10 on a conviction for felony intimidation, was released from custody, then re-arrested the following day for violating conditions of his release.

Joshua Aaron Kenney-Greenwood, 46, entered an Alford plea in District Court in Polson Oct. 22 to felony intimidation. In an Alford plea, a defendant concedes the case based on state’s evidence, without admitting guilt. It still results in a conviction.

Judge Molly Owen sentenced Kenney-Greenwood to five years with the Montana Department of Corrections, with all but time served of 219 days in jail suspended.

According to court records, on April 9, a man reported to law enforcement that he was attempting to evict Kenney-Greenwood from his rental property. The landlord accused Kenney-Greenwood of trying to sell property that didn't belong to him on Facebook Yard Sale, including a horse shelter and other agriculture equipment. The landlord indicated that Kenney-Greenwood liked to avoid law enforcement.

On April 14, a deputy with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office responded to the residence referenced by the landlord and observed a man and woman on a deck by a fire. When the deputy exited his patrol unit, the couple went inside the residence and did not come back out.

The following day, the deputy was notified by Lake County Dispatch that Kenney-Greenwood’s wife had called and stated that the deputy was not welcome on their property and they would only communicate via email.

On April 18, Lake County Law Enforcement learned that Kenney-Greenwood posted threatening messages on “X,” formally known as “Twitter.” The post indicated he was going to kill Governor Gianforte, alleging that “Gianforte poisoned his family.” He also called his threats “a religious prophesy” that he claimed was constitutionally protected as religious speech.

On April 25, deputies learned of another threat posted to “X” threatening the U.S. Attorney General, the director of the FBI, the Federal Courthouse in Missoula, and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. He posted that any aggression on their part would result in the courthouse burning down, and law enforcement being “ambushed and murdered. EASILY TOO, I might add.”

Records show Kenney-Greenwood with a prior conviction for assault with a deadly weapon in North Carolina.

During the sentencing hearing on Dec. 10, Judge Owen ordered Kenney-Greenwood to wear a GPS monitoring device until he secures Montana residency. Kenney-Greenwood discarded that device the following morning, Dec. 11, in Polson.

Lake County Sheriff’s Office immediately issued a warrant for his arrest and Undersheriff Ben Woods confirmed that Kenney-Greenwood was arrested on that warrant later that same day in Missoula.

According to the Lake County jail roster, he’s currently being held on a $250,000 bond.

Jeff Smith is news director for Anderson Broadcasting and writes about Polson District Court for the Lake County Leader.