HELENA — The Montana Supreme Court has rejected a Glasgow man’s arguments that he should not have to pay restitution for his kidnapping victim’s mental health counseling because it is being paid for by state-assisted programs.
The court, in a 5-0 ruling Tuesday, found that Richard Joseph Jenkins should be held responsible for $18,000 in potential counseling costs for Connie Sharp.
Jenkins was convicted in April 2012 of kidnapping, assault with a weapon and intimidation for cutting Sharp with a knife, burning her with cigarettes, tying her up and threatening to throw her into the river if she refused to drive him to Kalispell.
Sharp was able to escape in Havre.
The court ruled that when Jenkins starts paying restitution, the state programs that covered Sharp’s counseling costs can seek to recover that money from Sharp.