Basham sentenced for criminal mischief

Citing a history of alcohol-fueled brushes with law enforcement, Lincoln County District Judge Matthew Cuffe gave Bruce Alan Basham a partially suspended seven-year sentence Feb. 24.

A jury found Basham, 55, of Troy, guilty of a single count of criminal mischief Jan. 15. Basham was arrested and charged in connection with an attack on another man at the Troy Airport in August 2019 over the alleged theft of a lawn mower.

He will serve two years behind bars and Cuffe ordered he be placed in an appropriate treatment facility.

“This case is concerning on a number of levels,” Cuffe said. “This is concerning to me, this is concerning to the court.”

Authorities arrested Basham on Aug. 22 while investigating the assault. The victim told deputies with the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office that Basham and another man, William Arnold, lured him to the airport.

After he arrived, Arnold chased and then later attacked him, according to court documents. The two men then hopped into Basham’s pickup truck and he reversed it into the victim’s vehicle, court documents said.

The victim alleged the collision damaged the radiator as well as the front fender, bumper, grill and headlight housing.

Investigating the scene, Deputy Brent Faulkner found evidence that corroborated the victim’s account, court documents said. He later tracked down Arnold and arrested him. During a subsequent interview on Lake Creek Hill, Faulkner saw Basham drive past in his pickup truck.

A Montana Highway Patrol trooper stopped Basham at the nearby weigh station. Although authorities attempted to process him for driving under the influence, Basham refused to comply, Faulkner wrote in his affidavit.

Simultaneously, Faulkner inspected the rear of Basham’s truck. He saw that the dually rear-end matched the tracks he found at the site of the incident, court documents said. A taillight was damaged and missing part of the lens, which Faulkner described as closely resembling a piece of evidence he found on the ground at the airport.

He also spotted a weapon described by the victim on the floor of the passenger side of the truck, court documents said.

Basham was released on a $10,000 bond and pleaded not guilty to the criminal mischief charge in September. About a month later, authorities sought to revoke his bail after Basham was arrested for driving under the influence, according to an affidavit written by Vanessa Williamson, Lincoln County probation officer.

Few details about the incident were immediately available, but authorities allege Basham had a blood alcohol content of .144.

The case went to trial Jan. 14. The jury began deliberating at 9:46 a.m., Jan. 15 and reached a unanimous verdict by 10:20 a.m., finding him guilty of criminal mischief.

During the Feb. 24 sentencing hearing, Cuffe said, “there’s no doubt” alcohol played a role in Basham’s present circumstances.

“My guess is … a whole bunch of those [problems] center around your use of alcohol,” he said.

Lincoln County Attorney Marcia Boris recommended Basham receive a 10-year sentence with five years suspended. She argued that he has proven violent and has needs not easily met in the community, such as anger management and substance abuse.

“This defendant has a history of being violent and aggressive,” she told the judge.

Before handing down the sentence, Cuffe said he hoped Basham would “get the treatment you need.”