courts Stories by Jeff Smith of Anderson Broadcasting for the Valley Journal
Gardipe pleads not guilty to bomb threat POLSON — An Elmo man who was sentenced at District Court in Polson Jan. 12 to six years in the Montana State Prison for felony theft and burglary charges is facing more legal trouble for calling Trevor Gardipe in a false bomb threat. Trevor Daniel Gardipe, 26, entered a plea of not guilty at District Court in Polson March 9 to felony charges of intimidation and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence. According to court records, on April 29, 2021, dispatchers with Flathead
Tribal Police received a call from a man stating he was going to “bomb the tribal jail and complex today.” As a result, the entire CSKT complex in Pablo was evacuated and searched. A bomb was never found. Lake County Sheriff ’s Detective Dan Yonkin was able to determine the threat was made from a phone that has an application, textnow, that allows a subscriber to spoof other phone numbers. After obtaining a search warrant, Detective Yonkin learned the threat came from a phone associated with a certain gmail account. With information provided by cellphone service provider Verizon, Detective Yonkin was able to determine that
two cellphones were in use in Lake County at the time of the bomb threat. One of those phones was owned by Gardipe. Gardipe was incarcerated in the tribal jail at the time the bomb threat was made. Video surveillance at the jail showed Gardipe with a phone the day the threat was made. A search of the phone revealed it had been wiped of its contents twice on April 29, 2021, after the threat was made. Detective Yonkin was able to determine that the application textnow had been on Gardipe’s phone prior to the bomb threat. Judge James Manley set a jury trial for Aug. 1. Gradipe remains in the Lake County jail until trial.
Irvine pleads guilty to assault POLSON — A Ronan man who was accused of head butting a Lake County Sheriff’s Deputy pleaded guilty at District Court in Polson on March 9 to felony assault on a peace or judicial officer. Clint Headdress Irvine, 30, was charged with assaulting Lake Clint Irvine County Sheriff’s Deputy Paul Jernigan on Jan. 23. Deputy Jernigan had responded on that day to a residence in Ronan after a woman called law enforcement requesting 8 - March 16, 2022
the removal of two men from her back porch. Upon arrival, Deputy Jernigan identified one of the men as Irvine. The deputy knew Irvine was wanted on a theft charge stemming from an incident in July 2020. As Deputy Jernigan was attempting to pat Irvine down prior to placing him in his patrol unit, Irvine head butted Deputy Jernigan causing the deputy’s glasses to cut the side of his head. The plea agreement calls for the theft charge being dismissed at sentencing. Judge James Manley set sentencing for April 27. Irvine was given an own recognizance release with certain conditions including alcohol monitoring.
Skov pleads guilty to assault POLSON — A Polson man has admitted to assaulting a police officer. Kai Earl Skov, 50, entered a plea of guilty at District Court in Polson on March 9 to felony assault on a peace or judicial officer. According to charging documents, on Jan. 4, Kai Lake County emergenSkov cy dispatcher’s requested Polson Police respond to Skov’s residence on a report that Skov was screaming and cussing and that a shot may have been fired. At the scene, two responding officers observed Skov standing on his porch. As the officers approached, Skov went back inside. The officers rang the doorbell and knocked on the door and called for Skov to come
out, but Skov allegedly refused. Skov eventually appeared and confronted one of the officers, then picked up a metallic object with a blade on it and held it over his head as if to throw it at the officers. One of the officers deployed his stun gun and forced Skov to the ground. Skov resisted and kicked one of the officers in the face. Skov was taken into custody but continued to be belligerent during the booking process. Skov’s guilty plea came as part of an agreement that will dismiss at sentencing all other charges. Lake County Attorney Steve Eschenbacher says the plea agreement calls for Skov being committed to the Montana Department of Corrections for 10 years with five years suspended. Judge James Manley set sentencing for April 27.
Alexander pleads not guilty to possession, distribution POLSON — A Pablo man is facing a jury trial Aug. 1 on three separate drug possession cases. Anthony Louis Alexander, 41, entered a plea of not guilty at District Court in Polson March 9 to four counts of criminal possession of dangerous drugs and one count of criminal distribution of dangerous drugs. According to court records, on Dec. 14, 2018, Alexander was picked up on an outAnthony standing warrant. He Alexander was allegedly found to be in possession of a baggie containing methamphetamine. A search of the car he was driving at the time turned up a case containing syringes and other drug injecting items. On May 4, 2020, Polson Police executed a search warrant on Alexander’s residence. They allegedly found a baggie
Valley Journal
of meth, multiple baggies with meth residue, boxes of syringes, glass meth pipes, burnt foil, digital scale, .22 pistol, 12 gauge shotgun, and baggie of heroin. Alexander was arrested and transported to the Lake County jail. After he was removed from the patrol car, officers located a baggie of heroin on the floorboard of the patrol unit where Alexander was sitting. Then on July 14, 2021, a law enforcement officer observed Alexander walking in Polson. Knowing Alexander was wanted on an outstanding warrant, the officer detained Alexander. During his arrest, the officer allegedly located a baggie of heroin. Another baggie was located on Alexander when he was booked into jail that allegedly contained methamphetamine. Judge James Manley set all three cases for trial Aug. 1. Alexander remains in the Lake County jail with bail set at $25,000.
