Page 22 - Flathead Beacon // 1.27.16

ROUNDUP
93 1 KALISPELL
90 4 93
35
90156 7
FROM BEACON STAFF AND WIRE SERVICES
2
2 15
2
2
GREAT FALLS
MISSOULA
HELENA
BUTTE
BOZEMAN
15
BILLINGS
94
90
KALISPELL
a concern that Cordova, who was origi- nally from Los Angeles and came to the valley to play baseball for the now-de- funct Glacier Outlaws, might not under- stand English.
“In this case, Deputy O’Connell was merely building a rapport with the defen- dant and nothing he asked (prior to giv- ing Cordova his Miranda rights) solicited an incriminating response,” Prosecutor Alison Howard said. “This was basically two or three minutes of general conver- sation to establish if Cordova understood English.”
Getty argued that the deputy should have read Cordova his rights immediately. In his decision handed down on Jan. 13, Allison denied the motion to suppress the evidence, writing that O’Connell’s questions did not result in Cordova giv-
ing incriminating statements.
Cordova was immediately dismissed
from the Glacier Outlaws following his arrest in May 2015. A few weeks later, the team folded amid the collapse of the inde- pendent baseball league.
Cordova is scheduled to stand trial next month.
MISSOULA
3. University of Montana to Reduce
192 Positions
University of Montana’s president says the school will lay o 27 employees by July.
President Royce Engstrom said in a letter to colleagues on Jan. 22 that 192 full-time positions in all will be reduced. Besides layo s, the cuts will come by attrition, reducing adjunct positions and not renewing contracts.
Engstrom declined to provide details on the layo s “out of respect for the pri- vacy of the impacted individuals.”
The university is cutting costs after declining enrollment led to budget shortfalls.
The Missoulian reports the employee reductions will save the university $7.5 million. School o cials have said at least $12 million in savings is needed for the 2017 budget.
News of the layo s comes days after
1. Sheri IDs Man Killed in Avalanche
Near Olney
The 33-year-old man who was killed in a Jan. 23 avalanche near Olney has been identi ed as Geo rey Richard Caldbeck of Kila.
Flathead County Sheri Chuck Curry said the slide occurred near Swede Creek in the White sh Mountain Range after three snowmobilers in the area seemed to trigger it. Two of the riders were bur- ied, and one was able to self-extricate. The two survivors were able to locate Caldbeck through an avalanche trans- ceiver, but he was deceased by the time they were able to dig him out.
After unsuccessful resuscitation e orts, the survivors rode out for help. Caldbeck’s body was not recovered until Jan. 24 due to weather hampering search crews.
Curry said avalanche experts were own to the site on Sunday afternoon, and the sheri ’s o ce, along with the Forest Service, are still investigating the incident.
KALISPELL
2. Judge Denies Motion to Suppress Baseball Player’s Alleged Rape Confession
A Flathead County District Court judge has denied a motion to suppress evidence in a rape case two weeks after the attorney for the suspect argued his client’s rights were violated during a jail- house interview.
Public Defender Brent Getty led a motion in December stating that a Flathead County sheri ’s deputy did not properly give 27-year-old Eric Cor- dova his Miranda rights after he was arrested for allegedly raping a woman in White sh.
Attorneys from both sides met on Jan. 8 at a hearing on the matter before Judge Robert Allison. During the hearing, pros- ecutors said no incriminating statements were made in the ve minutes before the deputy read Cordova his rights. Deputy Colten O’Connell testi ed that there was
22
JANUARY 27, 2016 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM