Page 20 - Flathead Beacon // 2.25.15

20 | FEBRUARY 25, 2015 Have you
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TOP: Friends and family console Takara Juntunen during a candlelight vigil in honor of her son, Forrest Groshelle, the 2-year-old boy who was allegedly killed by his mother’s boyfriend last week. BOTTOM: Jeremy Juntunen, right, hugs his daughter Takara Juntunen as supporters release balloons during the candlelight vigil.
SMALL LANDOWNERS
Do you own 5-50 acres
of land and want to learn basics of weed management?
Rotate through three 25-minute stations presented by experts each night:
March 4
Focuses on weed
physiology & non- chemical control options
March 11
Focuses on chemical
equipment, weed law & safety
6:30-8:30 p.m. | FVCC campus - Arts & Technology Building - large conference room | FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC | For more information, call the Flathead Conservation District at (406) 752-4220.
WEED WORKSHOP
identification, plant
labels, calibrating
GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON
VIGIL
Continued from page 6
“He was just a blast,” said Jeremy Juntunen, the boy’s grandfather. “He al- ways had a smile on his face and he was just one of the happiest children I have ever known.”
Groshelle was born in 2012 with kid- ney problems and was sent to Seattle for treatment. Family members said the early days of Forrest’s life were tense but he eventually grew stronger.
“It’s almost hard to wrap your head around this because he was a survivor,” said Amanda Saenz, a family friend. “For him to be taken like this is just sicken- ing.”
When police arrived at the Ever- green home of Takara Juntunen and Newberry on the morning of Feb. 17, they found bruising, scratching and abrasions on Forrest’s body. An autopsy revealed that the child had been hit mul- tiple times in the abdomen.
In an interview with sheriff’s depu- ties, Takara Juntunen said that Newber- ry had been watching Forrest on a daily basis while she was at work. She also said that her son had been vomiting since Feb. 12, suggesting that the assault may have occurred between Feb. 11 and Feb. 17, according to police. During an inter- view with police, Newberry acknowl- edged that he had been “roughhousing” with the child the previous day.
But family members, including For- rest’s grandfather, believe otherwise.
“It was not roughhousing. I don’t believe that one bit,” Jeremy Juntunen said. “I don’t believe that this was an ac- cident.”
Shortly after 7 p.m. on Feb. 20, more than 100 people gathered inside the pa- vilion at Lawrence Park. Jeremy Jun- tunen said a few words about his grand- son before a family friend led the group in a prayer. Soon after, Michelle Riska, Takara Juntunen’s boss at a local coffee shop, announced that a nonprofit orga- nization was being formed to help pre- vent future deaths like this.
After a few brief words, the group walked into the middle of the park with balloons and candles in hand. After forming a circle, they let the balloons drift off into the winter sky and said, “Justice for Forrest.” The air of silence was broken only by the sobbing of the boy’s grandmother, Cindy Juntunen, in the arms of her friend.
“My favorite memories of Forrest were always walking through the door and having him come running at me to give me the biggest hug you can imag- ine,” Jeremy Juntunen said. “He always had a smile on his face.”
Newberry is being held in Flathead County jail and is scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 26. If convicted, he could face up to 100 years in prison.
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servation month—a time to al conservation efforts across
Montana.
ek, near Whitefish, the Flathead
strict has restored 1,200 feet of ith a mix of vegetated soil lifts,
d willow fascines, and riparian plantings.
sing severe streambank erosion and etch of Haskill Creek, we have
After