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Courts
Polson man charged with murder in girlfriend’s death
By Summer Goddard / Valley Journal
AURORA, COLORADO — A 20-year-old man from Polson is being charged with first degree murder in the death of his girlfriend.
Dakota Chinnock was arrested Sept. 5, for allegedly beating his girlfriend, Amanda Farley, 20, of Polson, to death between the evening of Sept. 4 and the morning of Sept. 5. He has been charged with four separate felonies for first degree murder, deliberate homicide, rape and sexual assault with a weapon.
According to charging documents, police responded to an apartment in Aurora, Colorado at 7:58 a.m. Sept. 5, following the report of a woman was who unconscious and not breathing. Responding officers found Farley dead upon arrival with significant swelling to her face. Chinnock, who made the 911 call, allegedly told officers that there might have been a home invasion. Officers noted a fresh scratch on Chinnock’s forehead and right thigh and that his hands appeared to have dirt and blood on them.
Chinnock and Farley are both Polson High School alums, having graduated in 2020 and 2019, respectively. Charging documents note that Chinnock said he and Farley had been dating since high school and had moved to Colorado to start their lives.
Following further questioning, interviews with neighbors, witnesses, review of text messages and the seizure of a green propane tank believed to be used as a weapon, Chinnock was arrested at 12 p.m. on Sept. 5. He is currently being held without bond in the Arapahoe County Detention Center.
Dakota Chinnock
Stories below by Jeff Smith of Anderson Broadcasting for the Valley Journal
Ronan man pleads guilty to dealing heroin
POLSON — A Ronan man has admitted to dealing heroin in Lake County. Jose Anders Gonzalez, 30, entered a plea of guilty at District Court in Polson on Sept. 9 to one felony count of criminal possession with intent to distribute. The guilty plea came as part of an agreement that will dismiss at sentencing one count of assault with a weapon.
According to court records, on Feb. 18, Lake County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a report of a female being assaulted by several people. At the scene, the deputies observed the victim with a split above her eye and a broken tooth. The victim told responding deputies that she had gone to a residence on Sundown Lane near St. Ignatius to confront someone about damages to a car. That’s when she says a male, later identified as Gonzalez, pointed a loaded pistol at her, then hit her several times with it.
She went on to state that another person held her down while Gonzalez went through her pockets. She says they also took from her a backpack containing a derringer before allowing her to leave. The victim was able to identify Gonzalez through social media postings.
Law enforcement executed a search a warrant at the Sundown Lane residence. Inside, officers located five grams of heroin, a digital scale and the derringer. They also observed blood spatter consistent with the victims’ version of events.
Judge John Larson of Missoula presided over the case via the zoom platform. He set a sentencing hearing for Oct. 28.
Polson man sentenced for series of thefts, burgarly
POLSON — A Polson man was sentenced at District Court in Polson on Sept. 8 to a total of 10 years with the Montana Department of Corrections with 6 years suspended for a series of vehicle thefts and a burglary.
Kyro Antonio Swimmer, 22, pled guilty Aug. 12 to one count of burglary for breaking into the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes Forestry building in Ronan on Nov. 29, 2019 and aiding in the theft of two chainsaws. He also pled guilty to: stealing a red Chevy Cruz on Oct. 3, 2018, the theft of a Chevy truck on Jan. 3, 2020, criminal mischief for destroying private property Feb. 10, 2020, the theft of a one-ton Dodge pick-up with its gooseneck trailer on March 25, 2020, the thefts of a 2008 Pontiac G6 and a Subaru Legacy in May of 2020.
A co-defendant in the burglary at the CSKT Forestry building, Trevor Gardipe, also of Polson, entered a plea of guilty at District Court in Polson on Sept. 8, to felony counts of burglary and theft. The plea was entered without the benefit of a plea agreement, meaning Gradipe could be sentenced to the maximum 20 years in the Montana State Prison for burglary and five years for theft. Judge James Manley set sentencing in Gardipe’s case for Oct. 27.
Kyro Swimmer
Ronan man sentenced for strangulation, criminal endangerment
POLSON — A Ronan man was committed to the Montana Department of Corrections for a total of 15 years with all but five years suspended during a sentencing hearing at District Court in Polson on Sept. 9. Bojai Dominick GrantSchmidt, 20, pled guilty at District Court in Polson on June 17, to strangulation of a partner or family member and criminal endangerment, both felonies. The pleas were entered as part of an agreement that dismisses one count of sexual intercourse without consent. The agreement also amended one count of strangulation of a partner or family member to criminal endangerment, both felonies.
According to court records, on Feb. 23, the grandmother of the alleged victim reported the assault. At the scene, the victim told responding law enforcement officers
that Grant-Schmidt assaulted her “over the course of four days.” She said on or about Feb. 20, Grant-Schmidt began hitting her because he was drunk. She said he became angry with her because she didn’t want to have sex with him. She went on to state that Grant-Schmidt forced sex upon her despite her telling him no. She said on Feb. 21, Grant-Scmidt choked her with his hands around her neck and pillow over her head. Grant-Schmidt said he did use the pillow due to “rough sex.” Bojai Grant-Schmidt Another person at the residence told law enforcement that they went into the room of the victim and witnessed her nude from the waist down and pulled Grant-Schmidt off of her. The witness later told a detective she heard the victim screaming for help and telling Grant-Schmidt to get off of her. She also said she saw Grant-Schmidt on top of the victim with “his forearm buried in her neck, choking her.” Judge John Larson of Missoula presided over the case via the zoom platform.
Amanda Farley
AURORA, COLORADO — Amanda Lynn Farley passed away Sept. 5, 2021, in Aurora, Colorado. She was born on Feb. 6, 2001 in Missoula, to her parents who adored her. Amanda was loved by many and touched many lives on her journey, no matter how short it was.
Amanda graduated from Polson High School in 2019. She had a love of golf, friends, and family. Amanda cherished her time with her family, some of her favorite past times included spending time at the lake, going on adventures, and facetiming her parents.
Amanda was and always will be her father’s little cupcake. There wasn’t a time you would not see Amanda smiling. She cherished her life and lived every moment to the fullest.
Amanda was preceded in death by her grandfathers Vincent Edward Battle, Kenneth Hall Farley, and Gordey Raymond Anderson.
She is survived by her father, Eric
Raymond Farley; her mother, Grace Battle; her step-mother, Tammie DeeAnn Farley; her brother, Tyler Vincent Farley; her step-brothers, Brenden Brit Alan Schliep and Christopher James Kirwin; her step-sisters, Jessica Rose Hall and Kyara Fraga; her uncles, Kenneth Michael Farley and Glenn Delano Farley; her grandmas, Arlene Janet Todd and Yvonne Rose Anderson; and numerous other family members who adored our sweet Amanda. Amanda Farley We are heartbroken she was not on this earth long enough to let her true colors shine through.
Dr. Aron Haire joins Providence emergency department
News from Providence St. Joseph Medical Center
POLSON — Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Polson is proud to announce that Dr. Aron Haire, D.O. has joined the Providence St. Joseph Center staff providing emergency care to the community.
“Dr. Haire will be an incredible addition to our staff. He is an excellent provider and is immediately available for those seeking emergency care,” said Devin Huntley, Chief Operating Officer of Providence St. Joseph Medical Center.
Dr. Haire has spent nearly a decade in study and working in emergency departments and in air ambulances.
“I am excited to help provide care for the dynamic community of Polson and the Mission Valley,” said Haire. “I feel blessed to be working with such an experienced group of physicians here at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center.”
Dr. Haire studied premed at Flathead Valley Community College and Montana State University; attended medical school at Lincoln Memorial University in Tennessee and completed his Emergency Medicine residency at Geisinger Medical Center in Pennsylvania.
He has worked as a waiter, teacher, porter, bartender, cook and black-jack dealer in five U.S. states, three national parks, Central America and Japan. He enjoys road trips, good books, loud music, camping, hiking, fishing, snowboarding, wilderness medicine and raising a good kid. He and his family are absolutely thrilled to be back in the Flathead Valley.
News from Glacier National Park
WEST GLACIER — The body of a recently missing Richmond, Virginia, woman was located in Glacier National Park on Sept. 5
Jennifer Coleman, who was reported missing Wednesday, Sept. 1, was found deceased in a steep and rocky area near the Continental Divide.
Rescuers will extract Coleman’s body when weather conditions permit. Air operations were halted Sept. 5 due to high winds in the incident area. Coleman’s family has been notified.
The search in Glacier started after Coleman’s vehicle was found by park officials on Sept. 1 in the Logan Pass parking lot. The search continued through Sunday, with the search area and number of search and rescue personnel increasing as the search went on. As many as 50 personnel had joined the search by Sunday.
Cause of death is currently under investigation.
Glacier National Park would like to thank the public’s response to the tip line. Although the end result was not the one searchers hoped for, public tips were key to a faster resolution of the search. Glacier National Park would also like to thank Flathead County Sheriff’s Department, Glacier County Sheriff’s Department, Two Bear Air Rescue, and the Flathead National Forest for their cooperation and support.
St. Joseph offers non-symptom COVID testing for travel, work
News from Providence St. Joseph Hospital
POLSON — Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Polson offers a variety of COVID-19 testing options. Patients who are experiencing symptoms or have been exposed to COVID positive patients can visit the walk-in clinic at St. Joseph Medical Center from 8 a.m.-7 p.m., seven days a week.
We can also accommodate those without symptoms and with no known exposures, for example travel tests and pre-surgical tests, in our clinics on Monday through Friday 8:30-11:30 a.m. or 1-4 p.m. For more information, please call 406-883-5680. In case of emergency symptoms, please call 911 or come to the emergency room.
COVID-19 relief available for small producers, processors, distributors, farmers markets
News from the USDA
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announced it will soon publish Requests for Applications (RFAs) for the Pandemic Response and Safety (PRS) Grants program to support agricultural stakeholders who haven’t yet received substantial federal financial assistance in responding to the COVID-19 crisis. This grant program will provide assistance to small businesses in certain commodity areas, including small scale specialty crop producers, food processors, manufacturers, distributors and farmers markets.
A grant forecast is now available to help potential applicants determine their eligibility and to prepare to apply for funding. Eligible entities should visit the PRS grant portal at usda-prs. grantsolutions.gov for complete information on the program, including how to obtain a free of charge DUNS Number from Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) BEFORE applying for this program. On Sept. 23, USDA will issue another announcement indicating that entities may submit their applications through the grant portal; entities will need their DUNS number to submit an application.
