Page 15 - Flathead Beacon // 7.15.15

Search Begins for New District Court Judge
Judge Ted O. Lympus will step down from the bench on Aug. 31
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NEWS
COURT BEAT
BY JUSTIN FRANZ OF THE BEACON
After 23 years on the bench, District Court Judge Ted O. Lympus is retiring and the county is looking for his replacement.
Lympus, 72, has served as a district court judge since 1992 and announced on July 6 that he was retiring. In a short press release, Lympus said that he wanted to spend more time with his wife, their children and grandchildren, and to pursue other interests, including his “love of Montana and his beloved Mon- tana Grizzlies.”
Now the search begins for Lympus’ replacement. Lympus was appointed by Governor Stan Stephens in 1992 to fill a vacancy on the bench and so the new search will be similar to the one that made him a judge in the first place.
On July 13, public notice of the vacancy was published and interested parties have until Aug. 12 to apply. Any lawyer in good standing is able to apply and must submit both an electronic application and a hard- copy, available at www.courts.mt.gov.
On Aug. 13, the list of applicants will be released and the public will be able to submit comment about the candidates for 30 days. After that, the Judicial Nomina- tion Commission will interview candi- dates and select three to five names to be sent to Gov. Steve Bullock. The commis- sion consists of current and former dis- trict court judges from around the state.
BRIEFS
Officers Recovering Pieces High-End Boat Stolen in Lakeside
A high-end ski and wakeboard boat was stolen in Lakeside last month and law enforcement is recovering it piece by piece, according to the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff Chuck Curry said the Tige Z1 boat, which is valued at roughly $90,000- $100,0000, had never even been in the water when it was parked overnight in Lakeside on June 16. The following morn- ing it was gone.
“It is unusual to have a boat theft,” Curry said.
The Flathead County Sheriff has worked with law enforcement in the Pol- son area and has recovered parts of the boat. However, they are still missing the largest piece, the hull. Curry said they have a suspect in custody on unrelated charges and the county attorney’s office is considering filing felony theft charges against the
Lakeside Man Denies Assaulting Wife
A Lakeside man denies that he assaulted his wife and let their daughter hit her mother with a hammer.
Judge Ted O. Lympus. GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON Bullock will then appoint a new judge.
That judge will have to run for re-election in 2016 in order to serve out the rest of Lympus’ term, which expires in January 2019. The annual salary for the position is $126,132.
After Lympus leaves office on Aug. 31, retired district court judges will oversee cases in his court until a replacement is
Grant Edward Rodgers pleaded not guilty to charges of accountability to assault with a weapon and criminal endangerment, both felonies, in Flathead County District Court on July 9.
According to court records, Rodgers got into an argument with his wife on the evening of May 14 and at one point told her “you are going to die.” Rodgers allegedly grabbed the woman and tried to throw her down a flight of stairs. He then grabbed her and slammed her face into a doorframe. After that, he allegedly struck her multiple times in the face.
At some point during the altercation, Rodgers instructed his young daughter to grab a hammer for her own protection. The daughter then allegedly struck her mother several times with the hammer.
The woman was finally able to get away from the house and call 911. She met a Flathead County sheriff’s deputy who observed a large lump on the wom- an’s head and a bloody nose.
Because Rodgers allegedly prevented the woman from leaving the house while their daughter struck her with a hammer, he is being charged with accountability to assault with a weapon.
If convicted, Rodgers could face 30
found. Judicial Assistant Kathy Froys- tad said they hope to have most of Lym- pus’ current cases wrapped up by the end of August, but it is possible Lympus would have to return to the bench this fall for a sentencing hearing or any other outstanding matters in a case he has overseen.
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years in prison and $100,000 in fines. Rod- gers is scheduled to go to trial in August.
Columbia Falls Man Pleads Guilty to Work Comp Fraud
A Columbia Falls man has been ordered to pay nearly $46,000 in resti- tution for worker’s compensation fraud.
The Department of Justice says Sal- vador Maldonado-Medina pleaded guilty on July 2 in Helena to felony theft and employer misconduct for receiving ben- efits from the Montana State Fund for a 2013 knee injury that he reported hap- pened at his Kalispell restaurant, but actu- ally happened at his roofing business. He did not have required work comp coverage on the employees of his roofing business.
Maldonado-Medina was given a six- year deferred sentence.
Prosecutors say the State Fund paid just over $39,000 in medical benefits for Mal- donado-Medina’s knee injury and $6,765 in wage loss benefits before learning he was injured while roofing. They alleged he col- lected wage loss benefits while continuing to work for the roofing business.
JULY 15, 2015 | FLATHEADBEACON.COM
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