The Western News Year In Review, Part 3

Join The Western News team in taking a look back at the biggest stories of the second half of 2019.

July 5

Contractor sentenced for insurance theft

Lincoln County District Judge Matthew Cuffe handed down a deferred, six-year sentence to local contractor Stanley Daniel Silva for a felony count of theft.

The Social Security Administration scrutinized Silva after deputies with the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office suspected he and his wife were potentially collecting money while concealing their contracting business.

They eventually determined Silva was overpaid $41,693 from June 2016 to December 2017.

Silva told authorities he thought that by reporting his income on his taxes, he was updating his information with federal authorities.

The contractor initially pleaded not guilty to the charge.

July 12

Forner sentenced after trying to smuggle drugs into jail

A local man accused of trying to sneak prescription pills into the county jail ended up with a 13-month sentence with the Montana Department of Corrections.

Allen Eric Forner was planning picking up the pills during his arraignment for driving under the influence charges in Lincoln County District Court in May. According to court documents, the wife of an inmate at the detention center agreed to tape the drugs under the defendant’s bench in the courthouse. Forner would then bring them back into the county lockup.

A detective with the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office learned of the scheme after the inmate arranged the smuggling operation through a recorded line. He found the package and left it in place to see what Forner would do, court documents said.

Watching via surveillance footage, the detective saw Forner retrieve the package and place it under his shirt. When authorities secured it, they found three cans of smokeless tobacco, matches, a syringe, cigarette and two white pills later identified as morphine.

Forner eventually pleaded guilty to felonious conspiracy to transfer illegal articles and felonious driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Along with the 13-month stint in state prison, he was given a suspended 10-year sentence.

July 19

Libby reexamines zoning

Libby City Councilors opened discussion about potential changes to the community’s zoning laws, which were last updated in 1974.

The updates proposed by the planning board would allow residential uses in a few commercial buildings, particularly on the second floor, add restriction on curb cuts and, ultimately most controversially, carve out two business development districts.

The proposals also called for creating a buffer zone of mixed residential and commercial properties between the city’s core business districts.

July 23

Kids removed from adolescent program

State officials removed 27 children from Ranch For Kids near Rexford after receiving allegations of physical and psychological abuse.

According to the Associated Press, complaints about the private adolescent treatment program had been made to an oversight board for years without action being taken. Lincoln County District Judge Matthew Cuffe ordered the children removed as part of a sealed child welfare case.

The allegations range from children being hit, kicked and spit upon by staff to not receiving needed medical attention.

“The health, safety and welfare of all children who live in Montana is paramount, and no child should have to experience what multiple sources have alleged has happened at the Ranch for Kids,” state health department director Sheila Hogan said in a statement.

July 26

Swinging bridge reopens

Officials with the U.S. Forest Service and Kootenai National Forest announced the completion of a roughly $500,000 project to revamp the Kootenai Falls swinging bridge.

The bridge, described by one website as one of “15 terrifying swinging bridges” in the country, is located between Libby and Troy on U.S. Highway 2. Originally built in the 1930s, the bridge primarily served to provide safe access for fighting forest fires.

A suspension bridge replaced the original in 1951, allowing for visitors to span the Kootenai River. It was rehabilitated in 1968, 1993 and 2016.

“Based on the age of the structure and some of the wear we were seeing on the cable, we just decided it was more practical and more economical to start from scratch,” said Rob Malyevac, a Forest Service engineer who oversaw the project.

The bridge is a major draw for Lincoln County, which has increasingly looked to tourism to replace the diminishing timber and mining industries as the major economic driver locally.

“It is expected to provide the public with a quality outdoor recreation experience for the foreseeable future,” said Kirsten Kaiser, district ranger for the Kootenai National Forest’s Three Rivers Ranger District, in a statement.

July 30

Child’s body recovered in West Fisher Creek

Authorities aiding in the investigation into a Kalispell murder-suicide found the body of a 2-year-old in a campground near West Fisher Creek.

The discovery came after law enforcement received tips that a vehicle belonging to the deceased Oregon couple was spotted in the area. The child was identified as Aiden Salcido, the couple’s son.

He died of a gunshot wound to the head, authorities said.

His parents, Daniel Salcido and Hannah Janiak were found dead in their vehicle after fleeing a traffic stop in Kalispell. A massive hunt, involving the David Thompson Search and Rescue and FBI, began after authorities learned the couple had a child.

August 2

Two sentenced for using Bible to smuggle drugs

Authorities accused Angela Lynn Rensmon, 40, of Kalispell and Michael Joseph Flanagan, 43, of conspiring to use a Bible to smuggle drugs into the Lincoln County Detention Center.

Rensmon was arraigned on felony charges of criminal possession of dangerous drugs and conspiracy to transfer illegal articles. Flanagan was charged with a single count of conspiracy to transfer illegal articles and a count of solicitation to transfer illegal articles in Lincoln County District Court.

Authorities learned of the plot after listening to recordings of Flanagan arranging the smuggling operation while in county jail. While a Bible was never used, authorities said Ransom dropped two books off for Flanagan, a puzzle book and a copy of “God’s Wisdom for Navigating Life.”

A prison guard secured the books and put them aside for detectives with the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office. Upon further investigation, detectives found a small bag in the binding, the contents of which tested positive for methamphetamine.

August 9

Libby incident breaks open homicide case

A road-rage incident in Libby in 2017 led to authorities arresting Judith Marie Carpenter, 57, of Coeur d’Alene, for first-degree murder.

Authorities said Carpenter shot to death Shirley Ann Ramey in her Trestle Creek home that same year. Investigators eventually linked the casings found at the murder scene to an incident in Libby using a federal ballistics program.

Lincoln County authorities had arrested Carpenter on the day of the murder for pointing a gun at another motorist while driving on state Highway 56. The weapon was a 9-millimeter Glock bought by Carpenter at a Coeur d’Alene sporting goods store in 2005.

In Lincoln County, Carpenter eventually admitted to the assault, according to court records. She was placed into a pre-trial diversion program meant for first-time offenders.

Analysis indicated the same weapon was used in the homicide of 78-year-old Ramey.

Carpenter and her husband initially denied the murder allegation.

August 13

Libby native returns to Montana for athletics position

After 31 years at The College of William & Mary in Virginia, Libby native John Sauer returned to the Big Sky State to join the strength and conditioning staff at Montana State University.

Sauer played football and participated in track as a member of the Libby Loggers. Conditioning appealed to the young Sauer and eventually earned a degree in health and physical education from Montana State.

“I didn’t have a tremendous high school career but it was fun and I worked at it,” Sauer told The Western News.

His career took him to Clemson, Utah and Southern Methodist before landing in Williamsburg, Virginia. Moving around was difficult, but a given in the profession, he said. He was surprised and pleased to land back in Montana, though.

“To be honest, I never thought this opportunity would come up in my career. When it did, it was a no brainer for me,” Sauer said. “To come here and be a part of coach (Alex) Willcox’s staff and to come back to Montana and be part of Montana State University Athletics, I just never expected it. I didn’t expect the opportunity in my career, so I was on board and all in. It’s a great opportunity and I couldn’t be more excited.”

August 20

CWD hunting licenses prove a quick sell

The 600 hunting licenses set aside as part of a special chronic wasting disease hunt planned for Libby sold in just over two hours.

The licenses were good inside the newly created Libby CWD Management Zone, a 10-mile radius around Libby. State officials hoped the move would thin out the population of antlerless white-tailed deer infected with the disease.

The licenses were only eligible for the archery and general hunting seasons. Officials planned to use the harvest to determine the spread and prevalence of CWD in the area.

August 27

Donation keeps after school program running for another year

When an after school program in Troy was facing the loss of a critical federal grant to stay afloat, officials with the Lincoln County Credit Union stepped up.

The local banking organization provided a $15,000 donation to the Troy Public Schools After School Program for the 2019-20 school year. Lindsay Beaty, credit union president, said she learned of the need after district officials reached out to her.

“Since Lincoln County Credit Union always looks for ways to help in the communities they serve, the board of directors thought it was a wonderful idea to give back and help fund the after school program,” Beaty stated.

While it would not fully fill the $30,000 hole left by the loss of the federal grant, school officials hoped the donation would encourage others to lend aid. Other supporters included the Troy branch of Town Pump, which chipped in $2,500, and Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, which gave $500.

September 10

Wounded veteran given hero’s welcome

Brian Sharp, a 33-year-old U.S. Army Special Forces Green Beret, received a hero’s welcome when he returned to his native Libby.

Wounded in Afghanistan earlier in 2019, Sharp suffered injuries to his hip and spine. Through rehabilitation, Sharp had regained the ability to walk.

Earlier in the year, Sharp credited the outpouring of letters and well wishes from Lincoln County as lifting his spirits during his recovery at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

September 20

International Chainsaw Carving Championship winners announced

Held in Libby, the third annual International Chainsaw Carving Competition brought 22 of the best artists in the world to Lincoln County.

Competitors vied for $15,000 in prize money. Categories included the People’s Choice award, King of the Auction, and first, second and third place in the Masterpiece Carve competition.

Takao Hayashi took first with “Lion King”; Dayton Scoggins came in second with “Trapper and Canoe”; and Steven Higgins took bronze with “Daddy Time (Backpacking Bear).”

Hosted by the nonprofit Kootenai Country Montana, the event was held to promote tourism and recreational development in Lincoln County. The chainsaw competition paid homage to the region’s history of the timber industry, organizers said.