The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced that the following person was arraigned or appeared las week before U.S. Magistrate judges on indictments handed down by the Grand Jury or on criminal complaints. The charging documents are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Appearing on Feb. 4 was Curtis Jeffrey Montclair, 37, of Poplar, on charges of prohibited

Attorney General Austin Knudsen is encouraging Montanans to be aware of scammers trying to take advantage of them as the Department of Justice’s Office of Consumer Protection fielded 945 scam complaints and successfully saved Montanans from losing more than $1.3 million in 2021. In 2021, OCP recovered $869,600 for Montanans who were victimized by scammers and prevented consumers who called

Judge Menahan of the First Judicial District Court held today that Senate Bill 319, which legislators amended heavily in a closed 16-minute hearing just a day before the end of the 2021 legislative session, violates the Montana Constitution. A diverse coalition of plaintiffs including Leo Gallagher (County Attorney for Lewis & Clark County), the Montana Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers,

According to the Phillips County Sheriff’s Office, two non-citizens were charged in connection with election crimes during the November 2021 municipal election. Grace O. Albia and Jannet Benitez Zeta have both been charged with deceptive election practices in Phillips County Justice Court. The charges allege that both falsified their voter registration form on Oct. 12, 2021, when they declared

( Publisher’s Note: Each week, the Roosevelt County Sheriff’s Office distributes an inmate roster with the names of persons incarcerated at the jail and does not necessarily mean there is a new charge or conviction.) Prisoners housed in the Roosevelt County Detention Center included: Mark Abresch, 63, hold for other agency. Sue Bigleggins, 34, Wolf Point, hold for Fort Peck Tribes.

A large, diverse, and unconventional coalition of Montanans has come together to oppose CI-121, a proposed measure that changes the Montana Constitution to limit valuations of property for tax assessment purposes. The coalition includes the Montana Association of Realtors, Montana Farm Bureau, Montana Farmers Union, Montana AFL-CIO, Montana Federation of Public Employees, Montana Infrastructure

The Wolf Point Education Association and the Wolf Point School Board held its first collective bargaining meeting for a new contract on Monday, Jan. 31. Patricia Toavs, co-president of the Wolf Point Education Association, presented results of a survey from teachers regarding “wants and needs” at their school buildings. The list based on the survey included a dean of students at each

Even though marijuana became legal for adults to purchase in Montana on Jan. 1, there’s one huge caveat. Under the federal Gun Control Act, it is illegal for gun owners to possess medical or recreational marijuana, and vice versa, and the penalties for violating that law are potentially severe. The rarely enforced law is in effect nationwide, but could be especially consequential in Montana, which

of controlled substances in states that have legalized it, and decriminalize it nationwide. ATF public information officer Crystal McCoy was unable to say whether federal decriminalization or descheduling would automatically permit gun owners to purchase or possess cannabis. “As always, the ATF as a federal law enforcement entity can only enforce federal law. We cannot speculate at this