Kendall a no-show for start of 20-year sentence

Jeremiah Kendall, on house arrest since his March 29 sentencing, failed to turn himself in for the start of his 20-year bid behind bars with the Montana State Prison on Friday.

The 40-year-old pleaded guilty to felony aggravated assault in January for the brutal beating of his then-girlfriend in 2014. He also pleaded guilty to tampering with physical evidence for accessing the victim’s phone while she lay in a medically induced coma to delete electronic conversations alluding to past abuse at his hands.

But on the date of his sentencing, Kendall was physically absent from Lincoln County District Court. Judge Matthew Cuffe announced that health officials placed Kendall in quarantine following a close contact with an individual infected with the coronavirus.

Defense attorney Sean Hinchey initially asked for a continuance of several weeks. While Kendall had not undergone testing, he suffered from symptoms associated with COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.

County Attorney Marcia Boris pushed to go forward, arguing that the case had been continued several prior times. The victim’s family had assembled in the courtroom expecting to see Kendall sentenced several times already, she said.

Cuffe agreed and raised the idea of placing Kendall on house arrest until he could safely begin incarceration. After a bit of negotiating — house arrest was not part of the plea agreement Kendall struck with prosecutors — Hinchey agreed.

Cuffe handed down the 20-year sentence while Kendall listened from his home via videoconferencing technology. He will also serve a consecutive, 10-year suspended sentence for the tampering charge, meaning he will be under supervision for a decade after his release.

Both will run concurrent to a federal charge Kendall already is serving.

Cuffe placed strict restrictions on the terms of Kendall’s temporary house arrest. He was barred from leaving short of a medical emergency. Even in that situation, probation and parole officials would need to be contacted immediately thereafter, Cuffe said.

He also barred anyone not already living in the home from visiting.

On April 9, Kendall was to voluntarily surrender himself to authorities. Officials have not yet released any other details regarding the circumstances of Kendall’s absence.