Prosecutors for the city of Whitefish have filed amended charges against three protesters accused of blocking a U.S. Border Patrol vehicle earlier this year.  

Leanette Galaz, Colton Little and Aggie Putnam pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor counts of negligent endangerment and public nuisance in Whitefish Municipal Court on Nov. 5. The trio originally faced misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct, criminal trespass and obstructing a peace officer, but the city filed a motion to alter the charges on Oct. 20. 

The protesters could face fines of up to $1,500 and imprisonment of up to a year under the new charges. The previous counts carried a total maximum fine of $1,100 while obstructing a peace officer and criminal trespass each carry a maximum sentence of six months.  

City attorneys did not respond to an inquiry about the amended charges by press time.  

The charges stem from a September confrontation that occurred outside the Whitefish Border Patrol station, where a handful of residents had gathered to protest the detainment of Luisa Torres and her 17-year-old daughter, Fergie Diaz.  

Whitefish Police officers intervened between Border Patrol officers and Flathead Democracy organizer Leanette Galaz about 11 p.m., Sept. 15.  

A video posted to Flathead Democracy’s Facebook page showed Galaz standing on the sidewalk in front of the Border Patrol building’s parking lot and blocking the way of a truck attempting to exit. Another person can be seen walking backward in front of the truck as it drove down U.S. 93.  

No one was charged at the time, but the amended complaint references the encounter, stating that the protestors “obstruct[ed] traffic as agents attempted to leave the property during the night to go home, including standing in front of vehicles in the highway, creating a substantial risk of bodily injury or property damage, as well as blocking the flow of traffic.” 

Whitefish Police officers arrested Galaz, Little and Putnam around 8 a.m. on Sept. 16, after they allegedly linked arms to block a second Border Patrol vehicle from departing the station. The protesters stated they believed the vehicle was transporting Torres and Diaz to an out-of-state immigration facility. 

Galaz, Little and Putnam were scheduled for an omnibus hearing Nov. 5, but Judge Caitlin Overland postponed it to allow time for the defendants to subpoena records. Attorney Jacob Johnson, who is representing all three, confirmed that videos posted to a Facebook account run by U.S. Border Patrol Spokane Sector are among the documents he is seeking as evidence in the case. 

A new omnibus is scheduled for Jan. 7 at 9:30 a.m. in Whitefish Municipal Court. 

Reporter Hailey Smalley can be reached at 758-4433 or [email protected].