Knife-wielding suspect receives suspended jail sentence
DERRICK PERKINS | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 5 months, 4 weeks 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. | February 23, 2026 11:00 PM
The individual arrested for waving a knife around the lobby of Logan Health Medical Center in Kalispell in 2024 later received a suspended jail sentence in Flathead County District Court.
Brought up on a felony count of assault with a weapon, Amber Rose Wenzl, 45, who has no address listed in court documents, initially maintained innocence before Judge Danni Coffman at the Jan. 16, 2025, arraignment. But Wenzl struck a deal with prosecutors in May that saw Wenzl agree to plead guilty to amended misdemeanor charges of assault and disorderly conduct.
In exchange, prosecutors agreed to recommend Wenzl receive a suspended six month jail sentence.
Coffman stuck to the terms of the arrangement at the May 23 sentencing and gave Wenzl credit for 16 days of time served. She also ordered Wenzl to pay a $10 fine.
Medical center security personnel summoned Kalispell Police officers to the facility about 4:55 p.m. on Dec. 31, 2024 after Wenzl allegedly wielded a knife — described as a kitchen knife — in the lobby, according to court documents. One of the security guards deployed a Taser as Wenzl approached with the blade, court documents said.
Security personnel told the police that Wenzl said, "You want some?" during the confrontation, court documents alleged.
News Editor Derrick Perkins can be reached at 758-4430 or [email protected].
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