Page 9 - Flathead Beacon // 12.3.14

FLATHEADBEACON.COM NEWS DECEMBER 3, 2014 | 9
Winter Storm Batters Glacier Park
Buying Your
FIRST HOME?
Three Rivers Bank offers many versatile options for real estate loans.
Feel free to move on in, we’ve got your financing covered.
www.ThreeRiversBankMontana.com
Trees fall on 20 structures during the storm that closed the park last weekend
By BEACON STAFF
The winter storm that hammered Northwest Montana over the holiday weekend left a trail of damage inside Glacier National Park, according to park officials.
According to spokesperson Denise Germann, trees fell on nearly 20 build- ings in West Glacier on the night of Nov. 28 and one family was displaced after their employee housing was damaged. A considerable amount of snow fell in the park as well, especially on the east side of the park where 2 feet was reported at St. Mary and 18 to 20 inches fell at East Glacier Park.
Some of the worst damage, how- ever, came in and around West Glacier and park headquarters, where fallen trees littered the park on the morning of Nov. 29 and officials urged visitors to come back another day. The Apgar Visi- tor Center was closed and the Going-to- the-Sun Road, which is normally open to the Lake McDonald Lodge or Ava- lanche this time of year, was closed at
the foot of Lake McDonald.
Park crews spent much of Saturday
trying to clear debris. Photos on the park’s Facebook page showed massive trees toppled onto buildings and ve- hicles. At least one government vehicle was damaged. Nobody was injured in the storm.
By Dec. 1, much of the park had been cleared, although it’s unclear what type of conditions existed on the area’s cross country skiing and snowshoe trails.
[email protected]
Damage from a winter storm in West Glacier on Nov. 28. COURTESY GLACIER NATIONAL PARK
DUI Turns Political on Blackfeet Reservation
Former Blackfeet councilman and outgoing state senator Shannon Augare says stop was politically motivated
By JUSTIN FRANZ of the Beacon
A DUI on the Blackfeet Indian Res- ervation has turned political after the man at the center of it, former tribal councilman and outgoing state senator Shannon Augare, told the media that his recent arrest was politically motivated.
Members of the Blackfeet Tribal Business Council dispute the allegation and say they’re committed to a “fair and just law and order system.”
On the night of Nov. 20, Augare was pulled over on the Blackfeet Indian Res- ervation and was arrested for driving under the influence, according to vari- ous media reports. He was reportedly charged with misdemeanor DUI, evad- ing police and speeding. But when he ap- peared in court on Nov. 24, the charges were thrown out by a tribal judge.
Augare told the Great Falls Tribune that the charges were dropped because they didn’t “pass the sniff test.” He said that because he didn’t support the ap- pointment of the current Blackfeet po- lice chief some people have held a grudge against him.
“I’m letting the media outlets know three facts,” Augare told a Great Falls Tribune reporter on Nov. 24. “One is it’s my assumption this is all intertwined with politics. The second fact: I have no pending charges against me in Blackfeet Tribal Court – a judge ruled on this. And the third fact is, I am a private citizen and I should not be subjected to any fur- ther harassment by anybody.”
Augare announced earlier this year that he would not seek reelection to either the Blackfeet Tribal Business Council or the Montana State Senate.
In a Nov. 26 press release, the Black- feet Tribal Business Council stated it had nothing to do with Augare’s arrest. According to Chairman Harry Barnes, the reason the charges were dismissed was because the ticket was missing a complete date and location of the inci- dent. Blackfeet Tribal Law Enforcement has five days to submit a new ticket and then the court can proceed with the
charges. Nov. 28 was the deadline to file new charges.
“We have found no substantiation of political interference,” Barnes wrote in the press release. “This began as a routine traffic stop and the officers in- volved had no idea who was being pulled over. We have found absolutely no politi- cal motivation from the Blackfeet Law Enforcement or the Blackfeet Tribal Courts ... We reject the claim that some in our council had anything to do with Mr. Augare’s present situation.”
The tribal council stated it sent the press release because of numerous ru- mors going around town and inquiries from the public and press.
This isn’t the first time Augare has had a run-in with the law. In 2013, Augare pleaded guilty in federal court to drunk- en driving, reckless driving and obstruc- tion of a peace officer after fleeing a Gla- cier County deputy in May of that year. Augare initially pleaded not guilty, ar- guing the federal government could not charge a tribal member. He later plead- ed guilty to tribal charges and tried to have the federal charges dropped. When that effort failed, he changed his plea to guilty in federal court.
[email protected]