Courts

Stories by Jeff Smith of Anderson Broadcasting for the Valley Journal

Alsup pleads guilty to felony theft, assault

POLSON — A Ronan man accused of stealing a car and assaulting a peace officer admitted to the allegations at District Court in Polson on March 30. Bart Lee Alsup, 33, entered a plea of guilty to felony charges of theft and assault on a peace or judicial officer.

According to court records, on Jan. 26, a man reported to law enforcement that he had driven to the Town Pump gas station in Ronan. He left his car idling in the parking lot while he went inside

because it was cold out. When he came out, his car was gone. Police were able to identify Alsup as the suspect through the stores video surveillance. Alsup was seen driving the stolen car later that day in Pablo and arrested. Then on Jan. 28, Alsup allegedly punched a detention officer in the face while filling out a health questionnaire. He later Bart Alsup admitted that he lost his temper when he allegedly punched the detention officer. Judge James Manley set sentencing for May 18. Alsup was released from the Lake County jail on his own recognizance. He had served 62 days in the Lake County jail.

Cruz sentenced to three years for assault

POLSON — A Polson man was committed at District Court in Polson on March 30 to the Montana Department of Corrections for three years with none of that time suspended for assaulting his father. Eric Brian Cruz, 49, pleaded guilty to partner or family member assault during an earlier court appearance.

According to records, on Dec. 29, 2021, Polson Police were called to a report that a man had been assaulted by his son. Officers spoke to the victim who stated that he suspected his son of drinking alcohol, so he put marks on bottles to gauge what was missing. He said when he confronted his son about it, his son pushed him down the stairs. The victim had injuries consistent with falling down stairs. Records show Cruz has two prior convictions for PFMA in the state of California, making the third a felony.

Judge James Manley gave Cruz credit for having served 97 days in jail and recommended Cruz be screened for chemical dependency.

Eric Cruz

Grenier pleads no contest to felony strangulation

POLSON — A Ronan man entered a plea of “no contest” at District Court in Polson on March 16 to felony strangulation of a partner or family member. Christopher Grey Grenier, 33, was committed to the Montana Department of Corrections for five years with no time suspended. He was also ordered to complete 40 hours of a batterer’s intervention program.

According to court records, on May 2, 2021, a child called 911 to report that “dad just hit mom.” A responding deputy with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office made contact with the alleged victim at the

scene. She was upset and crying. She told the deputy that Grenier had accused her of cheating on him. She said he grabbed her by the throat and choked. She said she thought she would pass out and was scared she might stop breathing. She told one of her children to call 911. As the child went to call 911, Grenier took the phone and fled. Christopher In a no contest plea, a

Grenier defendant concedes the case based on state’s evidence. It still results in a conviction. Judge James Manley gave Grenier credit for already having served 18 days in jail. Grenier was already on probation on a sexual assault conviction in 2010. The five year commitment to the DOC will run concurrent to an eight year DOC term in that matter.

Dr. Desiree Fox becomes behavioral health division director

News from CSKT Tribal Health

ST. IGNATIUS — Tribal Health is pleased to announce that Salish Tribal Member, Dr. Desiree Fox, is now the Behavioral Health Division Director. In addition to leading the Behavioral Health division at Tribal Health, Dr. Fox is also maintaining her position as Supervisory Clinical Psychologist.

“It is an exciting time to be home, working with my Tribe, and to help lead the Behavioral Health division amongst my colleagues and peers. I am grateful for the commitment by our Tribes to create critical mental health, addiction and preventative health resources for our community. We are now fully staffed at Behavioral Health, and we are providing important services that can truly improve the lives of our families and friends.”

Dr. Fox began working at Tribal Health in December 2020. Her prior experience includes completing practicum hours within the CSKT community working with adolescents and adults during her graduate work. Dr. Fox also worked with the Tribal Defender Office for several years where she helped provide assessment and treatment services in addition to providing integrated care and therapy services for Tribal Health. Additionally, Dr. Fox provided integrated care services for Partnership Health Center in Missoula. During her internship and fellowship training years with the Veterans Administration (VA), Dr. Fox completed rotations and specialized experiences in the VA’s primary care

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