Orr pleads not guilty to assault with a weapon charge

Darrel “DC” Orr, accused of trying to run down a woman in his pickup truck last month, has pleaded not guilty in Lincoln County District Court.

Authorities have charged Orr, 61, with assault with a weapon or, in the alternative, criminal endangerment for his role in the May 19 incident. The former city councilor was arraigned on the felony charge June 21.

Authorities arrested Orr following an investigation into the alleged assault, which was sparked after the one-time elected official left his camper on a neighboring business’ property, according to court documents. Employees with Montana Sky had the camper towed after discovering it on company land.

The victim told Capt. Boyd White of the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office that she was standing in the roadway speaking on the telephone with her boss when Orr approached in his pickup, according to an affidavit. He was traveling at a high rate of speed, court documents said.

The victim later told authorities that Orr had contacted the company after employees had his camper towed. He wanted to speak with the owner, but the owner did not want to speak with him, according to court documents.

As she spoke on the phone, Orr allegedly bore down on her. He sped up, forcing her to jump out of the way to avoid getting struck, according to the affidavit.

Orr then stopped in front of a nearby driveway, blocking in Montana Sky employees in a company truck, court documents said. He allegedly spun his truck’s tires — White later found evidence of the action left in the roadway — and cursed out the employees.

White spoke with a witness who corroborated the victim’s account, according to court documents. The individual heard her scream and saw her jump to avoid Orr’s pickup truck, White wrote in the affidavit.

“[The witness] thought that [the victim] probably would have been hit if she had not moved,” White wrote.

Another witness told White that he recognized Orr’s truck as it sped down the road, according to court documents.

White noted that the victim appeared shaken up by the alleged near miss and grew increasingly more upset as she recounted the incident.

“I do believe that Darrel Orr’s driving caused [the victim] to be in fear for her safety,” White wrote.

It’s not the first time Orr’s driving has landed him in court. In 2012, Orr was found guilty of reckless driving, a misdemeanor, under similar circumstances.

In that case, the pedestrian — an Environmental Resources employee working near Riverfront Park the September prior — alleged that Orr nearly struck him before making an obscene hand gesture.

“He came so close to me his mirror missed me by inches,” Frank Munroe, then a supervisor with ER, said in court testimony. “The wind from his vehicle was blowing my hair. As he went past, he leaned over and flipped me off.”

Munroe said the incident left him shaken.

“Yes, it scared me,” he said during cross-examination.

Orr represented himself in the case. It took a judge about 15 minutes to reach a verdict following the bench trial in municipal court.

Back in Lincoln County District Court this week, Orr’s public defender, Sean Hinchey, entered a not guilty plea on his behalf. Though physically absent, Orr appeared in the courtroom via videoconferencing software. Orr’s attorney contacted court officials prior to the hearing, notifying them that Orr had been exposed to the coronavirus.

Orr, who spent the past year questioning the severity of the pandemic and danger of the virus, was placed on the court’s Zoom protocol. He has, in the recent weeks, criticized steps taken by the court to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, including a decision by Judge Matthew Cuffe to place Jeremiah Kendall on house arrest after he was quarantined shortly before his sentencing. Kendall subsequently went on the lam, leading Orr to call on the local health department to pay for the ensuing manhunt.

According to health officials, there are eight active cases of COVID-19 in Lincoln County as of June 22. Thus far, 18 county residents have died of the disease, which is caused by the coronavirus.

Orr is expected back in court on Aug. 23 for an omnibus hearing with a pretrial conference to follow on Oct. 18. Were the case to go to trial, it would begin Nov. 16.

Assault with a weapon is punishable by up to 20 years in the Montana State Prison and a fine of $50,000. Criminal endangerment carries a maximum penalty of 10 years behind bars and a $50,000 fine.