Sheriff's Office investigating shooting death of Libby man

The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the Sunday night shooting death of a Libby man whose wife faces one count of tampering with or fabricating physical evidence, a felony, in connection with the incident.

Dispatchers received a call about 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 17 stating that Dean Leckrone, 69, had suffered a gunshot wound to the head, according to a news release the Sheriff’s Office emailed Tuesday morning. Leckrone died at the scene, it states.

Sheriff Roby Bowe said in a Thursday phone call that his office is still investigating the circumstances surrounding Leckrone’s death.

“All deaths are suspicious until we rule everything out,” Bowe said. “So we’re just taking all the steps to thoroughly investigate this death.”

Court documents show that Connie Jean Leckrone, Dean Leckrone’s wife, appeared before Justice of the Peace Jay Sheffield Tuesday morning and was ordered held in custody for the pending felony charge. He set her bail at $500,000.

If convicted of that charge, she could face a maximum fine of $50,000, a state prison sentence of up to 10 years or both.

Connie Jean Leckrone is being represented by Attorney Ann German, the court documents show.