An East Glacier woman who taught elementary school on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation admitted Wednesday to sexually abusing two students.

Sierra Shawnee Taylor, also known as Sierra Schildt, 36, pleaded guilty to sexual abuse of a minor.

U.S. Magistrate Judge John T. Johnston presided and recommended Taylor’s plea be accepted by U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris, who will sentence Taylor, according to the Department of Justice.

Sentencing was set for November 6. Taylor faces a maximum 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and five years to life of supervised release.

A press release states the prosecution said Taylor was employed as a teacher at the East Glacier Elementary School during the 2014-2015 school year. She taught a mixed-grade class that included some eighth-grade students.

Taylor entered a sexual relationship with one of the boys, who was an eighth-grade student, and twice had intercourse with the victim, according to the Department of Justice.

Investigators identified a second victim, also an eighth grade student, with whom Taylor committed a sexual act in 2012.

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GREAT FALLS – John Stevens, the former Cascade County undersheriff, has entered into a plea agreement in his case regarding theft from the Cascade County Sheriff’s Office.

Stevens was charged earlier this year with felony theft after he was accused of taking firearms purchased by the county when he left his position with the CCSO.

Court documents dated July 11 state Stevens entered a no contest plea.

In exchange for the plea, the state will amend the felony theft charge down to a misdemeanor theft.

The amended charge comes with a fine of up to $500.

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BILLINGS- A Billings mom faces up to 10 years in prison after she allegedly left her two young children with a drunk stranger Tuesday night.

Prosecutors say 29-year-old Breannda Romero met another Billings woman at a local bar Tuesday night, and they decided to go to the other woman’s home.

Court records state that on way Romero, who was driving her own car, stopped to pick up her two children, who are ages 1 and 6.

Romero then stopped at a store to buy cigarettes, but asked the stranger to watch her kids.

About 90 minutes later, when Romero hadn’t returned, a social worker picked up the children.

Police later found Romero’s car in front of her home, and after knocking for 30 minutes were let in to find Romero passed out in a bedroom, confused and disoriented. She allegedly said her children were with her sister or in bed.

She was arrested and booked into Yellowstone County jail. Bail was set at $5,000.

If convicted of the crime of felony criminal endangerment, Romero faces prison time and a fine of up to $50,000.

Reporting by Jeanelle Slade for MTN News

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BILLINGS- A Custer man is facing felony assault charges after prosecutors said he accidentally shot his friend in the hand early Tuesday morning following a nearly half-day bender at a nearby bar.

Rafael Juan Oyola-Sanchez, 33, was arrested and booked into Yellowstone County jail Wednesday on suspicion of assault with a weapon and criminal mischief. He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted of the most serious crime.

Here’s what allegedly happened at the Junction City Saloon, as prosecutors outlined in charging documents:

Oyola-Sanchez and a friend had started drinking at the bar around 2:30 p.m. Monday, got into a fistfight over a song on the radio that night, then continued drinking.

Oyola-Sanchez then decided to drive home, and his friend and the bartender tried to stop him. He left angry, punched, the glass door of the bar, then returned with a set of keys.

The friend tried to wrestle Oyola-Sanchez down to stop him from driving inside the bar, then continued his efforts outside. The friend tried to push Oyola-Sanchez’s fiance’s vehicle, saw he had a gun in his hand, then tried to grab it from his hand.

The gun went off and hit the man’s hand, and he was later taken to Billings Clinic for treatment. Oyola-Sanchez’s fiance drove him home.

Yellowstone County deputies went to Oyola-Sanchez’s and found a handgun smeared with dried blood in his pocket. His fiance told deputies the blood was Oyola-Sanchez’s from punching a fish tank when he arrived home.

The owner of the Junction City Saloon also estimated damage to the bar door was $500.

Oyola-Sanchez’s bail has not been set.

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HELENA – Justices on the Montana Supreme Court affirmed a lower court ruling denying Connie Crites access to the investigative file on her brother’s death.

In May of 2011, John Michael Crites’s neighbors Dennis Shaw, John Mehan and Katy Wessel had sued him after he allegedly threatened them.

Crites went missing that June.

His dismembered body was discovered near MacDonald Pass in October of 2011.

The case remains unsolved.

After his death, his sister Connie was appointed control of his estate.

Last year Crites’s estate requested the investigative file from Lewis and Clark County to defend itself from the lawsuit filed in 2011 and to use as part of a civil wrongful death action suit.

But the County said it couldn’t release the file over concerns it could jeopardize the ongoing investigation.

A district court judge agreed, and the request was appealed to the Montana Supreme Court.

The Montana Supreme Court justices decisions was unanimous.

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KALISPELL – Authorities have released the name of the man who was found dead in a Kalispell home on Monday.

Flathead County Sheriff Brian Heino has identified the victim as Paul David Kellenberger, 67, of Kalispell who lived in the home on Lenwood Lane.

Additionally, Sheriff Heino reports that a pickup truck being sought after the incident has been identified with help from the public.

A person of interest was taken into custody Monday on unrelated, separate charges, and is being held in the Flathead County jail as the investigation continues.

The Flathead County Sheriff’s Office is continuing to investigate the incident.

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BILLINGS- A Billings was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison Thursday for his role in a large meth-trafficking conspiracy.

Joe Roy Michael, 38 of Huntley, pleaded guilty in February to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute meth. He was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters.

Michael’s problems started in June 2018, when Montana Highway Patrol troopers found 104 grams of heroin in his vehicle following a traffic stop, according to U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme.

Investigators then received tips that Michael and his passenger, Joshua Clause, were selling large amounts of meth in Billings. He was arrested last September in Townsend, and authorities found meth and a pistol in his vehicle.

Clause told law enforcement that he and Michael had brought several hundred pounds of meth from California to Billings in 2018. Clause was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison in April for his role in the case.

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HAMILTON – A Hamilton business owner has been charged with felony assault with a weapon in an altercation that happened earlier this week.

Hamilton Police were dispatched to Fin City Fly Shop and Sapphire Chiropractic on North First Street for a report of an assault with a weapon Tuesday morning.

The owner of the building is Sean Obrien, who reported the assault.

In charging documents, police report once they arrived they located an Order of Protection taped to the window, sought by fly shop owner, defendant, David Brandos.

The Order of Protection prohibits Sean Obrien from being within 1500’ of the building, except to conduct landowner business.

Brandos told police he watched Obrien driving into the parking lot and begin walking in a “threatening manner”.

The defendant grabbed a Glock 20 pistol, and locked the deadbolt to the front door of the business. Brandos told police he did not point the gun at Obrien, but watched Obrien enter Sapphire Chiropractic.

Obrien exited a short time later, turned to the defendant and stated: “you have a gun.” Obrien contacted the Hamilton crime victim advocate at that point.

Brandos showed the Hamilton officer the firearm, which had a magazine inside and a round beside it.

Obrien gave a different account to Hamilton police when he was interviewed.

He told police he was picking up a rent check at Sapphire Chiropractic and said as he was approaching the business, he saw Brandos with a gun, with both arms extended, and pointed directly at him.

Obrien said he conducted his business, but as he left, he moved in a zig-zag pattern back to his vehicle in fear he would be shot in the back.

Brandos was charged with one felony count of assault with a weapon. His bond was set at $5,000. His next court appearance is in August.

Reporting by Melissa Rafferty for MTN News

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BILLINGS- A Billings spa owner admitted in federal court Thursday to bringing a woman from Nevada to Billings to work as a prostitute.

Scot Donald Petrie, 61 of Bilings, pleaded guilty to transportation of a person with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity and aiding and abetting, according to U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme.

He face a maximum of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years supervised release.

Prosecutors stated in court documents that as the operator of King Spa and A Spa in Billings, Petrie was aware of illegal sex acts starting in June 2014 provided along with legitimate massage services.

King Spa temporarily closed in December 2018, and Petrie helped it reopen to provide the services, prosecutors said.

In January, Petrie used a debit card to pay for the woman to come to Billings from Las Vegas, according to Alme. The woman said he provided her with condoms and she performed commercial sexual activity, including intercourse, while staying at the spa in Billings.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy J. Cavan presided over the plea and recommended it be accepted by Chief U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen.

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MISSOULA – The man who is spending 70 years in prison for the murder of a German foreign exchange student wants a new trial.

Arguments were heard Thursday regarding Markus Kaarma’s latest legal moves in Missoula County District Court.

He’s arguing the defense team in his 2014 murder trial failed to give him effective counsel, with Kaarma’s attorneys trying to convince trial Judge Ed McLean to start over.

Kaarma petitioned for post-conviction relief last September and his new legal counsel claims that his previous attorneys didn’t effectively establish his use of deadly force as an act of self-defense.

Kaarma was convicted for killing 17-year-old German exchange student Diren Dede. Kaarma claimed that he shot Dede out of self-defense while the student was trespassing in his garage, reportedly looking for drugs and alcohol.

However, prosecutors argued Kaarma was setting up an ambush after a previous break-in, by “baiting” and “luring” someone into his home. The original conviction has already been reviewed — and upheld by the Montana Supreme Court.

The new petition claims Kaarma’s previous attorneys referred to the wrong statute throughout the trial, failing to present appropriate instruction to the jury, and didn’t make proper objections to what they claim was the state’s “misleading arguments” about the law pertaining to the “Castle Doctrine” and defending one’s home against intruders.

The state is arguing Kaarma’s counsel has failed to meet the heavy burden required to show “that trial and appellate counsel was ineffective”.

Judge McLean will now take those arguments under advisement and adjudicate the matter with no time limit on how long that could take.

Reporting by Connor McCauley for MTN News

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BOZEMAN – A 54-year-old Belgrade man has been accused of possessing child pornography after law enforcement found it on his phone while investigating suicide threats by the man.

Brian Lynn Stewart was charged with sexual abuse of children, a felony, and was seen in Gallatin County Justice Court on Friday. He is being held on a $75,000 bail. If released, Stewart was ordered to have no contact with children and have no access to a smartphone or the internet.

According to charging documents, an MSU staff member reported that Stewart had made suicidal comments. Due to the comments, Stewart was located and detained by MSU Police for further investigation. Stewart was transported to Hope House for evaluation.

After Stewart agreed to a written consent search of his phone, investigators performed a technical forensic examination. Stewart was contacted by phone during the examination when a Certified Forensic Computer Examiner discovered many videos and a large number of data files. Several of the videos reportedly appeared pornographic in nature.

When asked if there was anything investigators needed to be aware of, Stewart reportedly replied: “Just the illicit porn that may be on there, ya know?” When asked if there was anything juvenile, Stewart allegedly responded: “Probably. Do I need a lawyer?”

After a search warrant was obtained, the phone’s data was searched and evidence of child pornography was reportedly discovered.

Under state law, Stewart knowingly possessed visual or print medium, including a medium by use of electronic communication in which a child is engaged in sexual conduct, actual or simulated.

In court, prosecutors said Stewart was an employee of MSU for 24 years and was honorably discharged from the National Guard.

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KALISPELL – A Kalispell man is facing a murder charge for hitting another man to death with a cement brick.

Leigh Medina, who is behind bars, has been charged with deliberate homicide, according to Flathead County Sheriff Brian Heino.

On July 15 around 5 p.m., deputies responded to a home on Lenwood Lane in Kalispell after a neighbor found a man dead on the floor of his home.

The victim has been identified as Paul David Kellenberger, 67, of Kalispell.

Medina is being held on a $500,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court August 8.

-Reported by Maren Siu/MTN News

Murder investigation underway in Kalispell after man is found dead

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A 24-year-old Kalispell man and former U.S. Air Force member who pleaded guilty in March to charges of sexual exploitation of a child and receipt of child pornography was sentenced to 15 years in prison with 10 years supervised release Friday.

The U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Great Falls began an investigation into Raymond Larry Edward Kennedy in February 2017, which soon led to his discharge from the Air Force, according to a press release from the Department of Justice citing court documents.

The release states Malmstrom investigators worked in conjunction with Homeland Security Investigations and the Montana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force to determine that Kennedy communicated online with six minor boys for approximately two years, beginning around July 2015.

In the release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said Kennedy “admitted using the internet to coerce minor boys into sending him sexually explicit images and videos of themselves,” using online communication platforms such as Snapchat. The boys are described as younger than 18. They lived in Bigfork, Kalispell and Great Falls.

Kennedy pleaded guilty to the charges March 14 in U.S. District Court.

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MISSOULA – Three men have been charged with the theft in what court documents say is many thousands of dollars in bicycles and parts.

Justin Frazier, Dylan Mace and Clint Randall were arrested Wednesday after Missoula Police executed a search warrant on a home on the 1200 block of South 6th Street West that the three men were associated with.

When police arrived on the scene of the home, there were many bicycles located around and in an RV in the back of the home.

Police reported that a few highly valued bicycles were easily identified as stolen. According to court documents, police interviewed a few witnesses at the scene who all confirmed that they assumed the bikes were stolen.

One witness told police Frazier and Mace were competing to see who could steal the most valuable bike.

All three remain in the Missoula County Detention Center.

Reporting by Connor McCauley for MTN News

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BILLINGS- A suspect has been identified and pleaded guilty to the cold-case murder of Miranda Fenner, the Laurel teenager brutally killed while working at a video store in 1998.

Yellowstone County Sheriff Mike Linder said at a press conference Tuesday afternoon that law enforcement had identified Zachary David O’Neill, who was charged in January in a separate rape and attempted murder in a Billings West End cold case, also from 1998.

O’Neill pleaded guilty to the murder of Fenner Tuesday in Yellowstone County court.

Detectives Frank Fritz and Shane Bancroft have been working on it for nearly 11 years, including conducting interviews and interrogations and using the newest DNA technology. They credited legwork and nonstop dedication of many to putting O’Neil behind bars.

“We all have children who have grown up in our community, who have part-time jobs at a local business. Can you imagine what the Fenners have had to go through all these years? It’s bittersweet, don’t get me wrong, but to get them some relief and something really makes it worth it,” Bancroft said.

On the evening of Nov. 18, 1998, Fenner was found crawling out of The Movie Store, a former video store at the corner of Main Street and Fifth Avenue. She had been stabbed several times in the head and neck, and her throat had been slashed. She died at St. Vincent hospital a few hours later.

As the years passed with no suspect, the case became a national story. Fenner’s family appeared on Dateline and other national news programs in an effort to find her killer.

Watch: 16 years after Miranda Fenner’s death, her family searches for her killer (aired on Q2 Nov. 14, 2014)

Fenner’s family released the following statement, ready by Monty Wallis of Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Office:

“We wish to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their kindness and support over the last 20 years. We’re relived that there is an end in sight for the nightmare that’s caused so much heartache and pain to everyone who knew and loved Miranda. Unfortunately, nothing will bring Miranda back and we can only pray that other families may be spared the grief that this type of crime inflicts. We wish to thank the Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Office, the cold case unit and all the agencies and individuals involved in the investigation. Their dedication and time is greatly appreciated. We wish to thank everyone who shared our posters and signs over the years. Everyone who didn’t give up and continued to search for answers. Everyone who provided so much love and support. Please understand that our family is still dealing with the recent developments in Mirandas case, and we respectfully ask for privacy at this time.”

O’Neill, 39, was initially identified by Yellowstone County deputies when he confessed in 2017 to the attempted rape and murder of a newspaper carrier on the Billings West End. He was in prison in Washington state on burglary charges at the time.

He was transported to Billings and pleaded not guilty to that crime in January. O’Neill changed his plea to guilty Tuesday.

O’Neill faces charges of deliberate homicide in the Fenner case. He faces life in prison as part of a plea agreement.

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BILLINGS – Zachary David O’Neill told detectives he killed Miranda Fenner in 1998 in Laurel to cover up a robbery to support his drug habit, and he confessed to two other crimes, including an unsolved rape in Riverfront Park in Billings around the same time, according to charging documents released Tuesday.

Those documents presented fresh details about a case that made national headlines as the trail for the killer grew cold and provided a public record of the timeline authorities worked under nail down the case.

Detectives had interviewed hundreds of people in connections with this case over the years.

Here’s what happened, according to the documents filed by Yellowstone County Deputy Chief Attorney Ed Zink:

Yellowstone County detectives first heard O’Neill’s name in connection to the investigation in 2000, but developed one of their first leads in October 2013. A woman called and said she suspected her ex-husband’s son, O’Neill, because of his violent tendencies. She provided few specifics, but she did say O’Neill rented a movie from The Movie Store, where Fenner was killed, on the night of her murder.

At the time, detectives determined O’Neill lived in the area at the time but had no other evidence.

In March 2017, on two separate occasions, O’Neill walked into the Yellowstone County Detention Facility and said he wanted to confess to the crime. The first time, O’Neill said he had recently used meth and appeared to be coming down off a high.

He told Dets. Frank Fritz and Shane Bancroft that he was living with his stepfather at the time of the murder and committing thefts and burglaries to support his drug habit of marijuana, meth and crack cocaine. He rented four movies from The Movie Store on Nov. 15, 1998, including a pornographic film, then went back after his mom told him to return the smut flick.

O’Neill said he waited until other customers left, then pointed a gun at Fenner, 18, and told her, “Give me the money.” He said he taped her up so he could leave but then worried she could identify him. That’s when he decided to slit her throat, and he fled when he thought he heard someone come in.

Fenner was found by a passerby who thought she had been shot. She died later that night at St. Vincent Hospital, now known as St. Vincent Healthcare.

Yellowstone County authorities did not arrest O’Neill that day because they said they needed to corroborate his testimony. They next talked to him in May 2017, where he confessed from a jail cell in Washington state, where he was serving time on burglary charges.

During his interview, O’Neill also admitted to the September 5, 1998 rape and attempted murder of a newspaper carrier in Billings, and he’s also been charged with that crime.

In addition, he admitted to a second, previously unreported rape in Riverfront Park in Billings on Sept. 12, 1998. Fritz pulled up records of that report and was able to match DNA evidence collected from the victim at the time and O’Neill.

The victim died in 2013.

O’Neill has agreed to a plea deal for life in prison. His sentencing is scheduled for August.

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BILLINGS- Federal prosecutors are recommending a sentence of 15 years for charges of coercion and enticement surrounding a former Miles City athletic trainer James Jensen.

Wednesday, a hearing regarding the sentencing request was held until July 26th. Jensen is currently being housed in Shelby.

Jensen served as the trainer for Custer County High School from 1970 to 1998 and court documents state he developed “The program” a way to sexually assault hundreds of male student-athletes under the guise of the promise to help body mass and muscle size through masturbation, stimulation, and oral sex.

According to a pre-sentence investigation report, federal prosecutors said the level of Jensen’s offense could qualify him for up to eight years in prison. However, due to the factors of the case, they believe a maximum sentence of fifteen years is appropriate.

In December, Jensen was charged in federal court after authorities discovered child pornography on his home computer.

U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said Jensen used means of interstate commerce, including the Internet, to “entice and coerce an individual who he believed was minor to engage in sexual activity.”

Prosecutors said for twenty years, Jensen used his unfettered access to young boys to exploit their innocence for his own sexual gratification.

During that span of time, Jensen performed various sexually-related activities on boys during sessions in his home or at school.

One victim said he participated in “The program” three to four times a week during the sports season in his freshman and sophomore years.

Another victim said he received “100 treatments” from Jensen and described the abuse, including oral sex as happening two to four times a week for years.

Prosecutors said that Jensen’s ex-wife was not aware of the abuse of teenage boys, but did describe at one point, finding a photo album in the basement of their home that contained pubic hair in the photo sleeves along with names. Jensen said the photos were research.

In sentencing recommendation documents, prosecutors asked the court to consider cases similar to Jensen’s child abuse case.

Stanley Patrick Weber was sentenced to more than 18 years in prison for aggravated sexual abuse for his role in a scheme to lure young boys to his home and sexually abuse them.

Weber served as a pediatrician and worked for Indian Health Services on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation.

Another, similar case; where a federal judge in Michigan sentenced former Olympic athletic trainer Larry Nassar to 60 years in prison for “leading a double life” of a trainer to elite athletes and a predator who used his position to sexually exploit children.

Along with the 15 years in prison, federal prosecutors also recommend a three year-supervised release.

Jensen also faces criminal charges in state court for allegedly possessing child pornography and is also named in a massive civil suit where 32 plaintiffs have stated in depositions that they told teachers and coaches of the abuse, but no one from the district, including coaches, teachers or administrators, confronted Jensen or tried to stop him.

Reporting by Andrea Lutz for MTN News

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HILL COUNTY — A 29-year-old Box Elder man is in custody following a traffic stop conducted by Rocky Boy police Wednesday afternoon in which he engaged authorities in a car chase that ended in Box Elder with a standoff and a short foot pursuit.

According to Hill County Undersheriff Stan Martin, authorities discovered Thompson St. Pierre was wanted on a federal warrant during a traffic stop at around 4:36 p.m. Wednesday on the Rocky Boy Reservation. After being pulled over, St. Pierre engaged Rocky Boy police in a vehicle pursuit while a 24-year-old woman, Sabrina Potter, was also in the car.

St. Pierre led authorities outside the reservation and into Hill County, Martin told MTN News, eventually ending up in the Beaver Creek Park Area in Box Elder. Deputies were able to stop the vehicle, Martin said, but St. Pierre had jumped out of the car prior to the stop.

St. Pierre hid in a coulee area with several trees and thick brush. When Rocky Boy police arrived, St. Pierre drew a handgun, prompting a standoff. Authorities contained St. Pierre to the coulee area, Martin said.

As police started to close in, St. Pierre attempted to run away. A “short foot pursuit” followed, ending in an open field in which St. Pierre was apprehended and taken into custody around 11:52 p.m. Wednesday.

No shots were fired during the incident, and no officers were injured, Martin said.

The responding agencies included the Montana Highway Patrol; U.S. Border Patrol; Blaine County Sheriff’s Office; Hill County Search and Rescue and Sheriff’s Office; FBI; Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks; Rocky Boy Police Department; Havre Police Department; and the Great Falls Police Department High Risk Unit. The Bearpaw Fire Department and Havre ambulances were on standby throughout the incident.

St. Pierre faces charges of assault on a police officer and fleeing police as well as a federal warrant — among other charges. He was taken into custody at Hill County Jail.

The woman who accompanied St. Pierre in the vehicle was taken back to the Box Elder Reservation, according to Martin, where she is likely to face charges from the pursuit.

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HELENA – A 55 year-old registered sex offender in Helena is accused of assaulting a young girl.

Thomas Quentin Swingholm appeared in Lewis and Clark County Justice Court Thursday afternoon.

He is charged with two counts of felony sexual assault.

According to court documents, police learned of the alleged assault when an Idaho girl under the age of 10 told her guidance counselor of Swingholm.

Court records say assaults happened in late March when the girl and her mom visited Swingholm.

During a forensic interview, the girl described items in Swingholm’s room used during the alleged assault. Police found items similar those described during a search.

The judge set bond at $75,000.

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ROBERTS – Two men wearing ski masks robbed the Lost Village Saloon in Roberts early Friday morning.

The Carbon County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release the robbery happened at 3:30 a.m. when the two suspects entered the bar and ordered an employee to the ground. One of the suspects was armed with a handgun.

The armed suspect was described as a white male, 5-feet, 7-inches tall with an average build, the press release states. The second suspect was described as also being 5-feet, 7-inches tall but with a stocky build.

The suspects left the bar with an undisclosed amount of cash.

Sheriff Josh McQuillan said security video captured an image of a small sedan that was in the area at the time. The car is described as being a light color, possibly silver or grey, with a loud exhaust.

Anyone with information about the suspects or the vehicle is asked to call the sheriff’s office at 406-446-1234.

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