GREAT FALLS – David Dean Komeotis was sentenced on Wednesday on seven counts of sexual assault.

Judge Greg Pinski sentenced Komeotis to 100 years for each of the seven counts.

Two of the sentences will run consecutively; the other five sentences will run concurrently, which means that Komeotis will likely spend the rest of his life in prison.

During the sentencing, Judge Pinski said that Komeotis still blames the victims and others for his own behaviors.

Pinski wanted the sentencing to speak loudly to the victims in this case and they need to not live in fear of Komeotis.

Komeotis will not be eligible for parole for 50 years.

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Komeotis charged with sexually assaulting two children
Komeotis trial underway in Great Falls

(MARCH 21, 2018) David Dean Komeotis has been found guilty on seven counts of sexual assault.

The trial began on Tuesday, and the jury returned the guilty verdict just after 5:30 p.m .on Wednesday.

In December of 2016, Great Falls police responded to a reported sex offense. The first victim told police that Komeotis had assaulted them two years ago. Police conducted a forensic interview and found enough evidence to charge Komeotis.

In November of 2017, the second victim came forward and said that Komeotis had assaulted them as well.

During the investigation, police found that the incidents occurred during the same time period.

Komeotis could face up to 700 years in prison; we do not yet know when he will be sentenced.

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HELENA – The man charged in the murder of a Broadwater County Deputy has been found unfit to stand trial.

Lloyd Barrus appeared for hearing Thursday in Broadwater Co. District Court.

According to an Order of Commitment, an examination of Barrus’ mental health found that he suffered from multiple disorders and that he is unfit to stand trial.

Doctors at the Montana State Hospital say Barrus suffers from Persecutory Type Delusional Disorder, Mixed Personality Disorder, and Alcohol and Marijuana Use Disorders of unknown severity.

The court order says that doctors found the diagnosis of Delusional Disorder leaves Barrus unfit for future criminal proceedings, including trial.

Court records add that Barrus has refused medication to help treat his disorder and without them, he will likely remain unfit to stand trial. It also says that he has responded to past treatment and that the criminal trial could proceed in the future if his condition improves.

Judge Kathy Seeley ordered Barrus committed and all future proceedings suspended. The Montana State Hospital has been ordered to develop a treatment plan for Barrus that could allow the case to continue. He will also be reevaluated in the future.

Barrus’ son Marshall is accused of fatally shooting Broadwater County Deputy Mason Moore during a pursuit near Three Forks on May 16, 2017. Lloyd and Marshall Barrus then led law enforcement officers on a nearly 150-mile chase that ended just east of Missoula.

Marshall Barrus was fatally wounded in a gunfight with officers.

Lloyd Barrus faces a total of five charges including deliberate homicide by accountability, two counts of attempted deliberate homicide, assault on a peace officer and unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Prosecutors have said previously they intend to seek the death penalty.

Lloyd Barrus has pleaded not guilty.

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GREAT FALLS – Eugene Edwin Sherbondy has been charged in Great Falls with endangering the welfare of children, and tampering with a witness or informant.

In court on Thursday, Sherbondy pleaded not guilty to both charges. Judge Greg Pinski scheduled his trial to begin on July 10th.

According to court documents, on August 7, 2017, a Great Falls police officer received a phone call from a deputy with the Pondera County Sheriff’s Office; who said that he had been contacted by a man who claimed that he used to live with Sherbondy in Great Falls.

The man alleged that Sherbondy was involved in the distribution of pills and also “sells his step-children.” The man claimed that Sherbondy and Sherbondy’s wife took the two children out of school and “sells” them for $800 per month.

A Great Falls police officer began investigating and contacted a woman at Sherbondy’s residence. The woman reportedly made several conflicting statements about where the children were, and ultimately claimed that her daughter was with family in Browning, and her son was with family in Valier.

The GFPD officer later confirmed that the children were not at these locations, but did receive information from the Browning family member that caused additional concern about the welfare of the children. The family member said that Sherbondy’s home is “hazardous and dirty,” and the he uses padlocks throughout the house.

After obtaining a search warrant, police searched the residence in October 2017 and found the two children, as well as a syringe on the kitchen floor which later tested positive for meth.

In November 2017, Sherbondy was arrested on a charge of endangering the welfare of a child.

In February 2018, according to court documents, a person disclosed that Sherbondy had asked another person to make a false statement about witnessing a rape between two adults in connection with the case, resulting in a charge of tampering with a witness or informant.

Shannon Carmen Chippewa is listed as a co-defendant on the charge of endangering the welfare of a child; we do not yet know if she has been arraigned or made a court appearance.

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HELENA – James David Freeberg, accused of sexually assaulting two young girls, has pleaded guilty to lesser charges.

Freeberg pleaded guilty to felony criminal endangerment of a minor.

Both the victims were under the age of 12 when the offenses occurred.

According to court documents, one young girl told investigators that Freeberg inappropriately touched her on multiple occasions, and said she saw Freeberg touching another girl.

Freeberg allegedly told one child not to tell anyone, because it was their secret.

He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 12th.

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ST. IGNATIUS – A St. Ignatius bus garage will need to be thoroughly cleaned after test results returned positive for meth.

Scott Johnson, 54, of Ravalli was arrested in late May after a month’s long investigation by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.

Johnson has been charged with methamphetamine possession, and authorities say he was selling drugs. His company has provided busing services to the St. Ignatius School District for several years.

In a press release sent to MTN News on Friday morning, St. Ignatius Superintendent Jason Sargent says the buses came back below the .5 index and will only need to be cleaned to assure they are safe.

But the bus garage came in over the allowable index and will need to be professionally cleaned.

Sargent says at this time they are working with the bus company to assure that this clean up happens thoroughly and with complete confidence that it is safe to work on buses that will be providing transportation for our students.

He said the bus company has been very cooperative throughout this process. They will test the buses and garage again after all of the clean up is complete.

-Melissa Rafferty reporting for MTN

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Earlier in the afternoon, probation officers were conducting a search of a house on Majors Street when they found some kind of explosive devices. Once the devices were discovered, law enforcement immediately left the house.

Butte Law Enforcement said bomb experts from Missoula and Helena were notified to assess the situation, investigate the device and determine what to do from there.

A bomb squad safely detonated homemade explosive devices recovered by police in the basement of a home on Majors Street in Butte on Thursday evening. The suspect is a 43-year-old man and is in custody with charges pending.

-John Emeigh reporting for MTN

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Police responded to a home on 20th Street North at about 3:30 a.m. for a report of a disturbance involving possible gunshots, according to a press release from the GFPD.

The GFPD says that two adults were taken by ambulance from the residence, and later pronounced dead at Benefis Health System.

Police say that there is no threat to the public and they are not looking for any suspects.

Authorities have not yet released the names of the two people.

The GFPD says that no other information will be released until at least Monday, and officers are continuing to investigate.

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BILLINGS- An elderly man was killed Sunday night in Billings during an attempted carjacking.

According to a press release issued Monday morning, at about 8 p.m. Sunday an elderly man was abducted during an attempted carjacking near 15th Street West and Broadwater Avenue.

The victim, whose name has not yet been released, and a suspect identified as Donald Gray Jr., a 58-year-old transient from North Carolina, struggled during which time the victim suffered fatal injuries.

Gray was stopped by a Billings officer shortly after the homicide and arrested.

The victim died at the scene.

Gray was arrested and transported to YCDF and remanded for deliberate homicide, possession of stolen property and obstructing a peace officer.

Police detectives are still investigating and more charges may follow.

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Prosecutor charged Jeffrey James Scribner with one count of Sexual Intercourse Without Consent, a felony.

Court documents say Scribner met the woman through a mutual acquaintance. Scribner reportedly offered the woman the extra bed in his hotel room because she needed a place to stay.

Prosecutors say the woman fell asleep on the bed but woke up later with some of her clothes removed and Scribner raping her. According to court records, the woman tried to stop Scribner by kneeing him in the groin.

When questioned, Scribner told police that the sex with the woman was consensual.

Justice of the Peace Michael Swingley set bond at $50,000.

Jeffrey Scribner is scheduled to be arraigned on June 27th.

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The Great Falls Police Department says that two people died in what it says was a “disturbance” early Saturday.

Police responded to a home on 20th Street North at about 3:30 a.m. for a report of a disturbance involving possible gunshots, according to a press release from the GFPD.

The GFPD says that a man and a woman were taken by ambulance from the residence, and later pronounced dead at Benefis Health System.

Authorities have not yet released the names of the two people.

The investigation is ongoing.

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RONAN – A routine traffic stop in the Mission Valley over the weekend ended with a Great Falls man behind bars facing drug charges.

Ronan Police Officer Brandon Smith and his K9 partner Sandor stopped a vehicle on US Highway 93 North near Terrace Lake Road on Saturday morning for a moving violation.

Ronan Police say the driver was taken into custody and a consent search revealed methamphetamine in his pocket. A search of the vehicle resulted in the seizure of heroin, methamphetamine, and marijuana as well as drug paraphernalia.

Authorities say the approximate street value of the drugs is $5,000.

The driver, who has only been identified as a Great Falls resident, was arrested and booked into the Lake County Detention Center on multiple felony charges.

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Police responded to Bozeman Health Deaconess Hospital at around 5 a.m. on Sunday for a report of a young man who was being treated for a gunshot wound to his legs.

The victim had been asleep at a residence on the southeast side of town when a suspect came into the house at approximately 4:20 a.m. and shot him in the legs once with a .223 round.

The victim could not see who shot him, and the suspect left the scene. The victim received surgery on his legs and is recovering at the hospital.

Detectives began an investigation into the shooting and ultimately identified Bozeman resident Chad C. Jackson, 20 years old, as the suspect. Jackson had been at the residence earlier in the evening and had a verbal altercation with the victim.

Officers were initially unable to find Jackson and issued an ‘attempt to locate’ alert to law enforcement agencies in surrounding jurisdictions requesting assistance.

At about 4:45 a.m. on Monday, the Rexburg, Idaho, Police Department located and arrested Jackson without incident. He is being charged and held in jail on a charge of assault with a weapon.

A second Bozeman man, Hunter S. Cruz, 19 years old, has been charged with felony obstruction of justice in connection with the case for assisting Jackson and is being held in jail on this charge.

Police say that the shooting was an isolated incident and there is no danger to the public related to these arrests.

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BILLINGS – The man allegedly killed by a North Carolina transient on Sunday was a former Big Horn County Sheriff and a longtime police officer who was stabbed to death in his own vehicle on Billings West End.

The suspect, Donald Gray Jr., told police he killed the man because he needed a car to get home, Yellowstone County prosecutors alleged in court documents filed Tuesday.

He is being held at the Yellowstone County Detention Facility on a $1 million bond and faces charges of deliberate homicide and obstructing a peace officer. He could serve up to life in prison.

MTN has confirmed the victim’s name was William Joy, 81 of Billings. He served 25 years in law enforcement, including a four-year stint as Big Horn County sheriff from 1982 to 1986 and Hardin police officer from 1961 to 1977.

According to court documents, Joy was abducted outside of the post office at 724 15th St. W., before prosecutors say he was stabbed to death and dumped at Lewis and Clark Middle School. Police and prosecutors have not released the victim’s name or hometown.

In court Tuesday, Yellowstone County Chief Deputy County Attorney Ed Zink said he asked for a high bond because Gray committed the “ultimate act of violence against a complete and innocent stranger.”

Zink said Gray’s criminal history included a charge of felony theft in Maryland.

The defendant’s public defender said that Gray had only been in Billings for one week when the alleged murder happened.

According to the charging documents, Billings police said they initially pulled Gray over on Broadwater Avenue around 8:30 p.m. Sunday.

According to the officer, the man did not have his driver’s license with him and allegedly gave them a false name. He said the car he was driving, a black SUV, belonged to a friend, the victim.

Officers told Gray multiple times that they knew the information he was giving them was incorrect, but he continued to say he was telling the truth, prosecutors stated.

The officer then called for back up and an ambulance when he noticed blood on Gray. He was examined by medical personnel, but they found nothing wrong with him.

Responding officers then handcuffed Gray and began to transport him to the Yellowstone County Detention Facility. On the way to the jail, Gray allegedly told officers, “When we get to the jailhouse, I’m gonna fess up…I’m gonna tell you everything.” This is when he finally told officers his real name.

Once he arrived at the jail, he told jail staff he had “killed a man,” according to court documents.

Gray then told officers that it all started because he was not familiar with Billings, and just wanted to find a way back to North Carolina.

According to charging documents, Gray went to the post office on 15th Street West and Broadwater Avenue where he saw an elderly man about to get into his car. Gray said he approached the man and held a knife to him, ordering him to drive away from the post office.

They drove a couple of blocks before they stopped near Lewis and Clark Middle School. Gray told police the man ‘became combative’ and was trying to attract attention, so he stabbed him multiple times in the chest.

Gray said he dumped the victim’s body at the school before he drove away.

-Samantha Harrelson reporting for MTN

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Rawlyn Strizich, 38, was charged Tuesday in Yellowstone County Justice Court with tampering with public records or information after she admitted stealing close to 1,000 pills collected as evidence in over 130 cases.

Justice of the Peace David Carter allowed Strizich to be released on her own recognizance, under the order she have no contact with anyone in the Billings Police Department.

According to charging documents, Strizich was hired as an evidence technician for the Billings police n Sept 2016. In Jan 2018, she contacted her supervisor at the evidence facility and admitted to stealing pills from the drug cage located inside the building.

She reportedly told her supervisor that she began stealing the pills in July 2017 and was taking them for her personal use.

Charging documents state that Strizich would use the computer system to look up different drugs, like OxyContin or Hydrocodone, to find which cases involved those drugs. She told her supervisor that she was aware of the surveillance cameras within the facility at the time, but she did not care if she got caught.

Strizich allegedly said she was taking 10 to 20 pills a day, and believed it would kill her.

All evidence technicians who worked at the facility at the time were questioned during the investigation, but none of them observed Strizich taking drugs from the facility.

Surveillance video did show Strizich quickly shoving something into her pocket while inside the drug evidence cage on multiple occasions.

Billings police began an investigation and did an audit of all drugs within the department’s evidence facility. After several weeks, they were able to determine that drug evidence was missing in about 130 cases.

It was during the investigation into this case that department officials learned she had sex with three Billings police officers on city property or while they were on duty.

One officer, Paul LaMantia, resigned and identified himself before a judge would require his identity released. The two other officers, Matt Edwards and Clint Anglin, received suspensions and remain on the force.

-Samantha Harrelson reporting for MTN

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Morgan Pett, 38, was charged with six counts of sexual intercourse without consent, one count of sexual abuse of children and one count of tampering with evidence, according to charging documents filed in April in Custer County District Court.

A Custer County jail worker said Pett was extradited on a warrant from Alaska, where he was working after he left his teaching job last year.

MTN News was not immediately able to confirm when Pett left his teaching job. A message was left with the Custer County School District Tuesday afternoon, and we will update with further comments if the district responds.

Pett is being held in the Custer County Detention Center on $500,000 bail. He faces a maximum of life in prison and a minimum of four years per charge for sexual intercourse without consent, four years for sexual abuse of children and 10 years for tampering with evidence.

The victim told authorities she met Pett six times for sexual contact, including intercourse, between Dec. 11, 2016 and Jan. 3, 2017, according to documents. The meetings included during a dog walk at Pirogue Island, in both of their vehicles, in his home and in a guest bedroom in her home, prosecutors allege.

They stopped after Pett’s wife discovered nude photos on his computer and alerted police, according to charging documents. On Jan. 4, 2017, Pett allegedly texted the girl and asked her to delete all messages and photos

Pett’s wife told authorities the former teacher said the girl had sent him the nude photos of herself.

They had exchanged messages through a private messaging app called Wickr, which allows pictures and messages to disappear within 10 minutes.

In an April 2017 interview with police, the girl said Pett had asked her to send the nude photos, according to court documents. She said the two began a relationship in the fall of 2016 and began texting each other daily.

Prosecutors said they received a forensic report Feb. 12, 2018, indicating a DNA match from the girl’s vehicle with a sample from Pett.

Pett started as a teacher in Miles City in 2008, according to Montana PBS, which featured him in a 2013 story about climate-change debates in Montana. He also coached the school’s science bowl team.

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Michael “Mick” Willey of Lincoln has been identified as the man who shot her and then shot himself, according to investigators.

Both were taken to Benefis Health System and later pronounced dead. Ray was 42 years old; Willey was 56.

It happened at about 3:30 a.m. on Saturday at a home on the 700 block of 20th Street North.

Cascade County Attorney Josh Racki confirmed on Monday that it was a murder-suicide.

Each died from a single gunshot wound, and the GFPD says that the initial investigation indicates that Willey shot Ray, and then himself.

According to the Blackfoot Valley Dispatch, Willey had been arrested twice in recent weeks after allegedly punching a woman – and bones in her face – and violating a no-contact order. We have not yet been able to confirm whether the woman in that case was Ray.

According to the Montana Department of Corrections, Willey was convicted on a charge of assault with a weapon in Lewis & Clark County in 2017 and received a three-year deferred sentenced.

The Great Falls Police Department is continuing to investigate.

-David Sherman reporting for MTN

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MILES CITY – A former Miles City teacher accused of sex with a 15-year-old student was placed on paid administrative leave “immediately” after school administrators learned of the allegation, Superintendent Keith Campbell said Wednesday afternoon.

Morgan Pett, a science teacher of 10 years, then resigned about a month later following an investigation, Campbell said in a statement sent to media by Billings attorney Jeana R. Lervick.

Campbell said he was notified of the allegation that Pett had inappropriate communication with a student during the weekend of Jan. 7-8, 2017.

Pett, 38, was then placed on paid administrative leave Monday, Jan. 9, pending the results of the investigation, and never again appeared before students.

According to Custer County court documents, the administrative leave came a couple days after Pett had his last of six sexual encounters over a month with the female victim. The encounters stopped after Pett’s wife discovered text message and nude photos of the girl on his computer and called police, prosecutors say.

Pett resigned Feb. 9, 2017 after administrators “thoroughly investigated” the matter, Campbell said, and he reported the district’s findings to the Montana Office of Public Instruction on March 24, 2017.

Pett was charged in April 2018 and extradited from Alaska to Custer County this week. He faces six counts of sexual intercourse without consent, one count of sexual abuse of children and one count of tampering with evidence. He is in Custer County District Court on a $500,000 bond.

Campbell praised the staff at Miles City Public Schools for their work in a tough situation.

“Our staff was extremely quick to respond to the allegations, and I am grateful for all of their hard work to investigate promptly. It was, of course, a horrible situation and I appreciate the efforts of the Miles City Police Department, as well. We have an excellent staff and will continue to strive to protect our students,” Campbell said in his statement.

Reporting by Erik Olson for MTN News

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HELENA – Benjamin Lee Rose has been found guilty of Sexual Intercourse Without Consent and guilty of Sexual Assault.

35 year-old Rose was charged in June of 2017 for having had sexual contact with two girls under the age 12, on several occasions between 2014 and 2015.

Rose’s trial began Monday June 11th, 2018 and the jury began deliberating just before noon on Thursday June 14

In the original charging documents, the incidents took place in a Helena apartment and in a motor home in Butte.

Authorities learned of the incidents when one of the girls reported it to a school official.

Sentencing will be held on August 2nd at 1:30 p.m. Rose faces a maximum sentence of 100 years to life in prison.

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East Helena man charged with sex crimes against children

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HELENA – A 51 year-old Helena man is accused of raping a woman.

Joel Cruz Padilla has been charged with one count of felony sexual intercourse without consent.

According to court documents, police were called to a residence on North Cooke around 9:30 Saturday night.

A woman told investigators that Padilla had groped her and raped her, before running out of the residence.

Police say he was found in the area and arrested.

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LIVINGSTON-The Livingston man who shot at law enforcement officers, leading to a manhunt near Bozeman Pass is facing more than $5 million in bonds.

Shaunesy Cole, 37, was seen in Park County Justice Court Friday morning and was charged with attempted deliberate homicide, fleeing from law enforcement and resisting arrest. His bond was set at $5 million.

Cole was also named as a suspect in a May 16, 2018 incident and charged with burglary of a motorcycle, electronics, and jewelry from a home in the Livingston area. Cole was also charged with criminal endangerment and fleeing from a police officer in the case, where he allegedly led law enforcement on a chase from Livingston to Billings. Bond was set for $250,000.

Cole was also charged with theft of a Chevrolet Cobalt in Livingston on April 21, 2018, and deceptive practices of a common scheme for using credit cards without the consent of owners, making purchases at Walmart and a gas station in Big Timber. Bond was set for $25,000.
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Cole’s next court appearances are set for July 30, 2018.

This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.

-Emma Hamilton reporting for MTN

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