Page 15 - Flathead Beacon // 1.14.15

FLATHEADBEACON.COM NEWS JANUARY 14, 2015 | 15
Kalispell Man Pleads No Contest to Beating Infant
Three Rivers Bank is
REMODELING
to serve you best!
OUR IDAHO STREET BANK IS OPEN WHILE UNDER
CONSTRUCTION. PLEASE USE THE NEW NORTH ENTRANCE AND NORTH PARKING LOT.
IDAHO STREET BANK
233 E Idaho St. Kalispell, MT 59901 755-4271
MERIDIAN ROAD BANK
552 N Meridian Rd. Kalispell, MT 59901 755-5432
A Locally Owned, Independent Community Bank Since 1974
www.ThreeRiversBankMontana.com
Brandan Thorne allegedly hit his 5-month-old baby last year
By JUSTIN FRANZ of the Beacon
A Kalispell man has pleaded no con- test to charges that he beat his 5-month- old daughter last spring.
Brandan Thorne was charged with felony assault on a minor last year and agreed to a plea agreement on Dec. 23, 2014. The agreement states that Depu- ty County Attorney Stacy Boman will recommend a 15-year sentence to the Department of Corrections with 10 years suspended. Thorne will be sen- tenced on Feb. 26.
According to court documents, po- lice received a call from a Kalispell wom- an on April 13, saying that she heard what sounded like a baby being beaten in the next apartment. The woman told po- lice that she heard a crying baby and her neighbor yelling “shut up!” before hear- ing repeated banging against the wall
between the two residences.
While police were en route, dispatch
received another call from the same lo- cation reporting that an infant there had stopped breathing. When police arrived they found Thorne holding his uncon- scious 5-month-old daughter.
The baby was rushed to Kalispell Re- gional Medical Center in critical condi- tion and was then airlifted to Spokane for additional treatment. In Spokane, the baby was evaluated and it was deter- mined that she was suffering from reti- nal hemorrhages throughout both eyes. The baby also began to suffer from nu- merous seizures. According to court doc- uments, the baby continued to receive medical treatment for months after and has undergone multiple surgeries.
At the hospital, Thorne told police that he had been holding his daughter and had tripped. When police confront- ed Thorne with information that the neighbor had heard him yelling, he told authorities that he had also been on the phone having an argument with a friend, Tyler Huston. Police later talked to Hus- ton who said he had not had a phone con-
versation with Thorne that morning but did receive a series of text messages ask- ing him to tell police Thorne’s versions of events, that they had been having an argument and he had tripped.
Police obtained search warrants for the two men’s phone records and found text messages that confirmed that Thorne had asked his friend to lie to police. Thorne also asked Huston to “please delete call logs and texts.”
A few weeks after the incident, police again met with Thorne and confronted him with the text messages and the in- consistencies with his previous state- ments. Thorne then admitted that he was upset with his daughter on the morning of April 13 because she would not take a bottle. However, he said he did not re- member what happened after he yelled at the baby because he had “blacked out,” according to court documents.
In July, Thorne pleaded not guilty to charges of assault on a minor and tam- pering with witnesses and informants, both felonies. The tampering charge was dropped in the plea agreement.
[email protected]
Municipal Matters
A recap of recent city council and county commission meetings
FLATHEAD COUNTY
•On Friday, Jan. 16, the Flathead County Commission is scheduled to host a commissioners’ workshop on the recent South Campus build- ing bid award. The workshop will include a review of the bid award, as well as a discussion of possible cost- saving changes that could be made to the bid. The workshop will be held in the commissioners’ cham- bers in Kalispell, at 9 a.m.
• The county commission was also scheduled on Jan. 13 - after the Bea- con went to print - to discuss how to proceed with planning, zoning, and lakeshore regulations in the former interlocal agreement area around Whitefish, commonly referred to as the doughnut.
WHTEFISH
•Thecitycouncilwillreviewapossi- ble non-discrimination ordinance at a future meeting after being pre- sented with a request last week. The Montana Human Rights Net- work and the American Civil Liber- ties Union of Montana have asked the Council to adopt a non-discrim- ination ordinance that protects les- bian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people from discrimina- tion in housing, employment and public accommodations. Council- ors asked for the proposal to appear on a future agenda.
• Jim Laidlaw was appointed as the Flathead County representative on the Whitefish Planning Board.
• Last week the city council approved a five-year extension of an agree- ment between the city and the Whitefish Community Center. The deal includes a $1-a-year lease.
KALISPELL
•The fourth annual Craft Brewers Festival and Hockey Tournament will once again be able to serve beer at the upcoming event in Woodland Park. The city council approved the request for a special permit al- lowing the sale and consumption of alcohol in city parks. The hockey tournament and beer festival is Jan. 23-24. For more information visit http://www.craftbrewershockey- league.com.
• City offices will be closed Monday, Jan. 19 on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The City of Kalispell Solid Waste Division will still be picking up the roll-out containers and resi- dents should have containers out by 7 a.m.
• At its work session on Jan. 12, after the Beacon went to print, the city council reviewed a proposed pawn shop ordinance and an update to the growth policy. The next regular council meeting will be Tuesday, Jan. 20 at 7 p.m.
www.ThreeRiversBankMontana.com