GREAT FALLS — A Helena judge says police called him at home to hold an after-hours court hearing for a Montana sheriff who had been arrested.
Cascade County Sheriff Bob Edwards was charged with misdemeanor partner or family member assault Thursday after his girlfriend reported that he pushed her into a television stand in their hotel room.
Helena Municipal Judge Robert Wood says police officers called him with the unusual request that he hold Edwards’ initial appearance that night, instead of the following day.
Wood tells the Great Falls Tribune he believes the officers didn’t want the sheriff spending the night in the overcrowded Lewis and Clark County Detention Center over security concerns.
Wood released Edwards on his own recognizance less than five hours after he was arrested. His next court date is July 19.