Page 15 - Flathead Beacon // 6.17.15

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COURT BEAT
Whitefish Man Sentenced in Arson Case
Langley sentenced to 10 years with the Department of Corrections with five suspended
BY JUSTIN FRANZ OF THE BEACON
A Whitefish man has been sentenced to 10 years with the Department of Corrections with five years suspended after he set his ex-girlfriend’s house on fire in October 2013.
James Wallace Langley, 35, appeared in Flathead County District Court on June 11, nearly five months after he pleaded no contest to charges of felony arson. Langley was accused of arson after DNA evidence connected him to the scene of the fire.
The sentencing came just weeks after Langley tried to with- draw his no contest plea. Langley’s attorney, Jack Quatman, argued that a district court judge displayed bias during a pre- viously scheduled sentencing.
In January, Quatman and prosecutors crafted a deal where Langley would enter a plea of no contest and the state would recommend a six-year differed sentence. Langley entered his plea in front of Judge Robert Allison on Jan. 22. A no-contest plea is entered when a defendant acknowledges that prosecu- tors have enough evidence to convict them but still maintain that they are innocent.
At the sentencing hearing, however, Allison told Langley and his attorney that he would not be following the plea agreement because of the seriousness of the crime. Allison said he would give the defendant more time to come up with testimony as to why he should be given a deferred sentence and the sentencing was postponed. On April 20, Langley filed a motion to withdraw his plea. In the motion, Quatman argued that Allison displayed a bias when he likened lighting someone’s house on fire to firing randomly into a home with an assault rifle and that it was clear he has “very strong personal feelings concerning arson.” Allison later denied Langley’s motion to withdraw.
According to court documents, the Whitefish Fire
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BRIEFS
Police Chief: Vehicle in Fatal Hungry Horse Crash Was Stolen
The vehicle driven by a 15-year-old boy who was killed in a crash following a high-speed police chase was stolen, according to law enforcement.
Pierce Norman Beach of Hun- gry Horse died shortly after 12:30 a.m. June 14 when the vehicle he was driv- ing crashed into a tree on River Junction Road, near the intersection of U.S. High- way 2. Two other males in the vehicle were injured.
Columbia Falls Police Chief David Perry said officers first tried to pull the vehicle over at the intersection of Fourth Avenue and U.S. Highway 2 after noticing that a taillight was out. Beach did not pull over however and police began to follow him east through Bad Rock Canyon, at one point reaching speeds of more than 90 miles per hour. As the chase contin- ued, police learned that the vehicle had been reported stolen.
As the vehicle entered Hungry Horse, it left the roadway and stuck a tree. Beach was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the wreck.
It’s unclear if alcohol or drugs were a factor in the crash and Montana Highway Patrol is still investigating the incident.
Police Still Searching for Gunman Following Marion Shooting
Police have identified a “person of interest” following a shooting that took place on June 14 at a bar in Marion.
Flathead County Sheriff Chuck Curry said police have not talked to the possible suspect yet and said that witnesses have given varying accounts of what happened early Sunday morning when a 30-year- old Bigfork woman was shot in the arm outside the Rail Line Tavern.
“There are a lot of versions of what happened and getting the correct version has been tough,” Curry said.
According to a press release, deputies responded to a report of shooting outside the bar shortly after 2 a.m. on June 14. When they arrived they found a 30-year- old woman with a gunshot wound to her arm. According to witnesses, the shoot- ing happened after an altercation devel- oped between several people in the park- ing lot after the bar closed. The shooter, a man with a handgun, left the scene before police arrived.
The victim was taken to Kalispell Regional Medical Center and was later transported to a hospital in Seattle for additional surgery. She is currently in stable condition.
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Anyone who has information about the shooting is encouraged to call the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office at (406) 758-5610.
Man Arrested in Washington for Kidnapping Flathead Girl
Authorities in Washington state have arrested a man they say kidnapped his girlfriend in Montana and led police on a high-speed chase after she escaped and called for help.
The Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office says 35-year-old Joseph Crowell, of Montana, is being held for investigation of kidnapping, assault and other charges. He was taken into custody after he fled from deputies and rammed two patrol cars head-on.
Deputy Chief Charlie Rosenzweig says Amber Smelt called 911 Wednesday to report that she had been kidnapped the day before and forced to drive with him to Washington. She had been reported as a missing or endangered person out of Flat- head County, Montana.
James Langley pleaded no contest at Flathead County District Court earlier this year.
GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON
Department responded to an early morning fire on Oct. 8, 2013 on Highland Drive. One of the residents told police that a flash outside their window woke them. When they looked into their yard they found an oilcan and the siding on the house on fire. The resident put the fire out, but later the man noticed smoke was coming out of the light fixtures.
The homeowners told detectives that they believed their daughter’s ex-boyfriend, Langley, had set the fire. Langley denied the allegations and let police take a DNA sample from him. Later, Langley admitted that he was at the victims’ house early Oct. 8. The DNA evidence Langley voluntarily gave later connected him to the oilcan and he was charged with arson on Feb. 3, 2014.
He says she was driving when she escaped by striking the car against a guardrail on Interstate 5 near Castle Rock and running away.
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She told police that Crowell had
assaulted her and her aunt.
JUNE 17, 2015 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM
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