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Woman Who Locked Children in Basement
Sentenced to Prison
Judge likened children’s punishment to ‘prison’ before sentencing Amy Lynn Newman
and Crystal Marie Mears
A time for celebration
BY JUSTIN FRANZ OF THE BEACON
Two Kalispell women have been sen-
tenced to the Montana Women’s Prison after admitting that they had locked chil- dren in a basement on multiple occasions earlier this year.
Amy Lynn Newman and Crystal Marie Mears both pleaded guilty to two counts each of criminal endangerment earlier this year and were sentenced on Nov. 18 in Flathead County District Court. New- man, the adoptive mother of the victims, was sentenced to eight years in prison with three suspended and Mears was given six years with three suspended.
The sentencing hearing began on Nov. 10 when the court heard from ve of the adopted children who testi ed about abuse that went far beyond being locked in a basement. After two hours of tes- timony, Judge Robert Allison decided he wanted to study a dependent neglect case that had been led against Newman before sentencing the two women.
According to court documents, New- man and Mears locked two boys, ages 9 and 11, in a basement every night with only a bucket to go to the bathroom. In March, after four children were removed from the home, the Kalispell Police Department searched the home and found numerous locks on the basement door, including padlocks and zip ties.
When the sentencing hearing resumed on Nov. 18, Mears and Newman made statements about their version of the
BRIEFS
Flathead County Man Accused of Raping 12-Year-Old Girl
A 27-year-old Flathead County man has been accused of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl on multiple occasions in 2015.
Luke Schnable pleaded not guilty to felony sexual assault and felony sexual intercourse without consent on Nov. 17 in Flathead County District Court.
According to court documents, a ther- apist approached law enforcement with information that Schnable had sexually assaulted a young girl starting in Septem- ber 2015. In March 2016, a forensic inter- view was conducted with the victim and she told law enforcement about numer- ous sexual encounters with Schnable. On one occasion, Schnable allegedly told the girl to not tell anyone what he had done because he would be sent to jail.
If convicted on either charge, Schnable could face up to life in prison. He is expected to stand trial in April 2017.
remorse for what they’ve done,” Howard
events. Mears, 37, described a chaotic but loving household and said that it was never the women’s intentions to hurt the kids but rather “correct” bad behavior.
“Amy was at her wit’s end with the children’s behavior,” Mears said.
Mears also said that o cials from Child Protective Services had come to the house and knew about the locks on the basement door but never said any- thing about it.
During the change of plea hearing earlier this year, Newman, 46, testi ed that she locked the boys in the basement because they were a danger to the rest of the family. She said one of them had tried to choke his sister with cat litter and another tried to set the house on re. On Nov. 18, she stood by that testimony.
“All I’ve ever wanted to do is make life better for my children,” she said, holding back tears. “My only concern has been to keep all of these children safe and if I have hurt them in any way I am deeply sorry.”
But Deputy County Attorney Alison Howard questioned the sincerity of the two women’s statements.
“What enrages me the most about this case is that this is the rst time either of these two women have showed any
and giving
said.
Howard noted that since the ve chil-
“WHAT ENRAGES ME THE MOST ABOUT THIS CASE IS THAT THIS IS THE FIRST TIME EITHER OF THESE TWO WOMEN HAVE SHOWED ANY REMORSE FOR WHAT THEY’VE DONE.”
- ALLISON HOWARD
Creston Murderer Accused of Drug Possession
A month after he was convicted of murdering a 35-year-old Kalispell man, Robert Matthew Wittal was back in court on drug and gun charges stemming from a 2015 incident.
Wittal, 29, pleaded not guilty to charges of felony criminal possession of danger- ous drugs and misdemeanor carrying a concealed weapon at an arraignment on Nov. 17 in Flathead County District Court.
According to court records, a Montana Highway Patrol trooper stopped Wittal on U.S. Highway 93 in December 2015. Upon further investigation, the trooper realized Wittal had a warrant for his arrest and decided to take him into cus- tody. As the trooper arrested Wittal, he asked if he had any weapons. Wittal said he had a gun inside his waistband but did not have a concealed weapon permit. Later, when Wittal was being processed at the Flathead County Detention Center,
jail sta found a small bag of metham- phetamine in his coat pocket.
In April, Wittal was charged with fel- ony criminal possession of dangerous drugs and misdemeanor carrying a con- cealed weapon.
In May, Wittal stabbed Wade Allen Rau- tio to death in the woods east of Creston. The following month, Wittal and three others - David Vincent Toman, 21, Christo- pher Michael Hansen, 28, and Melisa Ann Crone, 29 – were all arrested on charges related to the murder. Wittal was charged with deliberate homicide while the other three were charged with accountability to homicide. Wittal was convicted of murder during a four-day trial in October. Wittal will be sentenced on Jan. 17, 2017.
Wittal is expected to stand trial on the new charges in February.
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dren were removed from Newman’s home their lives have improved greatly. Howard then recommended a three-year deferred sentence that had been agreed
t hanks.
upon in the plea agreement. Defense attorneys Sean Hinchey and Tim Wenz backed the deferred sentenced and urged the judge to only sentence the two women for the crime they pleaded guilty to.
Just before heading down his sentence, Judge Allison said it was one of the tough- est cases he had ever had to consider. He said he spent hours reviewing the evi- dence and the law before making his deci- sion to sentence the women to prison.
“The physical conditions that these children were subjected to is comparable to a prison cell, but even a prison cell is better than what these kids had,” he said. “At least a cell has a light and a toilet.”
Following the hearing, Mears’ attor- ney said they were disappointed with the outcome.
“Based on the allegations set forth by the prosecutor in the information, we feel this sentence is inappropriate,” Wenz said.
jfranz@ atheadbeacon.com
NOVEMBER 23, 2016 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM
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