Polson editor arrested on the job

The editor of the Lake County Leader in Polson was arrested Wednesday afternoon while taking photographs at the scene of a head-on collision on Montana 35.

Vince Lovato, 53, was arrested on charges of obstructing a peace officer, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.

Lovato and his wife, Michelle, a reporter for the Leader, drove to the scene of the accident from Polson after hearing about it on the police scanner. He was taking pictures of one of the vehicles involved in the accident when a Montana Highway Patrol trooper arrested him.

Details of the incident remain vague since the case is headed for court, and lawyers on both sides have advised their clients not to speak to the press.

At some point during the incident, Trooper Anthony Isbell put handcuffs on Lovato, who is 6-foot-3 and 265 pounds, and tried to put him in the back seat of his patrol car.

Because of Lovato’s size, he apparently did not fit easily in the patrol car, and a Lake County sheriff’s deputy used his pickup truck to transport the arrested editor to the Lake County jail, where he was eventually booked and released under his own recognizance.

The Daily Inter Lake contacted Isbell for comment, but he was told to direct any media questions to John Barnes, communications director at the Attorney’s General Office, which oversees the Montana Highway Patrol. Barnes said he was unable to comment, and directed the Inter Lake to call the Lake County Attorney’s Office.

However, a criminal case doesn’t usually get sent to the county attorney’s office until a not guilty plea has been entered by the defendant in justice court. If a guilty plea is entered in justice court, the county attorney’s office usually won’t even see the file.

Lake County Deputy Attorney James Lapotka acknowledged he had the file, but said he would not be able to comment on an ongoing criminal case.

When Lapotka was asked why he had the file since no plea has yet been entered, he answered, “Because you’re calling us.”

The Lake County Leader, where Lovato works, is owned by Hagadone Montana Publishing LLC, the same company that owns the Inter Lake.

Lapotka added, “I can’t elaborate on the specifics or the factual stuff to satisfy public curiosity or help you write a story on it. The only time I can comment is to inform the public of ongoing danger. Typically, I wouldn’t get a police report or get involved at all until somebody pleads not guilty.

“I can’t get involved in making statements to the media. There’s a due process right to him to have his day in court, and it shouldn’t be tarnished by having people talk about it outside of the courtroom. I wish I could comment on it. I’ve got a lot to say about it, but I can’t.”

Lovato has been a journalist for 33 years and was hired as editor of the Lake County paper earlier this year.

His court date is Oct. 15 in Polson. The three charges he faces are all misdemeanors. Disorderly conduct carries a maximum sentence of a $1,000 fine and one year in jail. Obstructing a peace officer and resisting arrest each carry a maximum sentence of six months in jail and a $500 fine.