A 31-year-old Kalispell man denied allegations that he beat his partner and a 7-year-old girl last month.
Michael Terrell Beale pleaded not guilty to felony aggravated assault, felony assault on a minor and misdemeanor criminal destruction of or tampering with a communication device before Judge Robert Allison in Flathead County District Court on Feb. 16.
According to court records, the Kalispell Police Department responded to the report of a disturbance on Jan. 9. When they arrived at a business on Seventh Avenue West, they found a woman and child who had reportedly just run from a home across the street. The woman said that she and Beale had been fighting about money when he got angry and beat her. The woman’s face was covered in blood and she had noticeable injuries to the face, neck, stomach and back.
The woman told police that Beale had repeatedly punched her in the face and at one point she lost consciousness. When she awoke Beale started kicking her. The young girl told officers that Beale had grabbed her by the arm and thrown her across a room. Beale then ripped the telephone out of the wall so that the woman could not call police.
The woman was transported to Kalispell Regional Medical Center where she was found to have a broken tailbone, a broken nose and a missing tooth.
Officers went across the street to the house where they confronted Beale, who had blood on his pants and shirt. Beale refused to explain where the blood had come from. Beale was arrested and taken to the Flathead County Detention Center.
If convicted, Beale could face up to 25 years in prison. He is expected to stand trial later this spring.