St. Onge accused of driving over ex-girlfriend's feet

A Kalispell man faces multiple charges after authorities say he drove over the feet of his ex-girlfriend in the Happy’s Inn area last month.

Prosecutors charged Zachary Paul St. Onge, 38, with partner or family member assault, third offense, and driving a motor vehicle with a suspended or revoked license following the Aug. 25 incident.

Deputy Steve Short of the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office arrested St. Onge after responding to Fisher River Fire Station No. 1 about 5:39 p.m for a reported assault. En route, he passed St. Onge headed northbound on U.S. Highway 2, according to court documents.

In an affidavit, Short said he stopped St. Onge near Bowker Street. Asked for his license, St. Onge admitted it was suspended.

When Short asked about the assault, St. Onge denied any involvement.

Short then arrested St. Onge for driving with a suspended license and had him transported to the Lincoln County Detention Center before continuing toward the Happy’s Inn area. There, he met with the victim, court documents said.

St. Onge’s ex-girlfriend told Short she was smoking a cigarette when St. Onge drove by earlier in the day. St. Onge pulled into the nearby parking area and suggested that she give their son a good-bye hug as the pair was headed to St. Onge’s current girlfriend’s home.

As she leaned in to give the boy a hug, St. Onge allegedly accelerated and drove over her feet. When she yelled at him, St. Onge cursed her out and drove off, court documents said.

The victim also told Short that she had suffered assault at his hands on prior occasions and was “very afraid” of him. According to court documents, she said she never got an order of protection because “it is just a piece of paper.”

Short took photographs of the victim’s feet, which were red and swollen, and gave her information on taking out an order of protection. He later confirmed that authorities had arrested St. Onge multiple times on partner or family member assault charges, leading to a 2008 conviction in Lincoln County Justice Court and a 2013 conviction in Libby City Court.

St. Onge, initially held on a $75,000 bond, pleaded not guilty to all charges in Lincoln County District Court on Sept. 21. An omnibus hearing is scheduled for Nov. 30 with a pretrial conference set for Jan. 11. Were the case to go to trial, it would begin Feb. 16.

Partner or family member assault, third offense, is punishable by 30 days behind bars and up to five years imprisonment. It also carries a maximum fine of $50,000.

Driving a motor vehicle with a suspended or revoked license carries a maximum penalty of six months behind bars and a $500 fine.