Courts

Stories by Jeff Smith of Anderson Broadcasting for the Valley Journal

Cutfinger pleads not guilty to three felonies

POLSON — A Ronan man is accused of stealing three vehicles on separate occasions and smoking fentanyl. Ruben Daniel Cutfinger II, 31, entered a plea of not guilty at District Court in Polson on Sept. 15 to three counts of theft, one count of criminal mischief and criminal possession of dangerous drugs, all felonies.

According to court records, on Sept. 11, 2021, a work truck belonging to the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes was stolen from a gas station in Pablo. The truck was later discovered abandoned with over $5,000 in tools missing. Surveillance cameras at the gas station showed Cutfinger as the suspect that took the truck. Cutfinger had just been released from jail earlier that day. Then on Feb. 21, 2022, Cutfinger is alleged to have stolen a 2010 Ford Focus from a residence in Ronan. The owner reportedly watched the theft occur. Four days later the owner of the Ford Focus called law enforcement to report he located his Ford Focus traveling U.S. Highway 93 in the Pablo area. This ultimately led to a pursuit with law enforcement that caused over $6,600 in damages to

the car. On March 12, a 1994 Jeep Grand Cherokee was stolen from a residence in Arlee. The Jeep Grand Cherokee was the subject of a traffic stop later that day with Cutfinger identified as the driver. He told police he knew the Jeep was stolen but denied being the person who stole it. Finally, Cutfinger was arrested on an outstanding warrant in Pablo on July Ruben Cutfinger 14 and was found to be in possession of drug paraphernalia that contained fentanyl residue. Cutfinger told the arresting officer that he used the paraphernalia to smoke fentanyl. Judge Deborah “Kim” Christopher set a trial date of Feb. 27. Cutfinger remains in the Lake County jail with bail set at $25,000.

Melvin pleads not guilty to two counts felony DUI

POLSON — A Polson man is accused of committing felony DUI three times in the span of 13 months. Ron Phillip Melvin, 67, entered a plea of not guilty at District Court in Polson on Sept. 15 to two counts of felony DUI. Lake County Attorney James Lapotka says the third felony DUI is pending lab results.

According to court records, Melvin was arrested for DUI on July 28, 2021. He was issued a citation and released from custody, but missed his court date and a warrant was issued for his arrest. Melvin was picked up on the warrant May 4 and allegedly was driving while intoxicated again. Again, he was cited, booked, and released and then failed to make his court appearance. Another warrant was issued for his arrest. On Aug. 27, Melvin was arrested for another DUI. This time Melvin was not released from jail and instead his bond was set at $10,000 for each of the three arrests.

Judge Deborah “Kim” Christopher set a trial date of Feb. 27 on the two cases that were filed against him.

Bigknife pleads not guilty to felony assault

POLSON — A trial date of March 3 has been set for a Polson man accused of shooting an elderly man with a BB gun. Marshall Bigknife, 18, entered a plea of not guilty at District Marshall Bigknife Court in Polson on Sept. 14 to felony assault with a weapon.

According to court records, at about 1:15 a.m. on Sept. 6, Polson Police responded to a report that a man on Main Street had an injury to his face. At the scene, police witnessed an elderly man sleeping on a mattress in the alley off the 400 block of Main Street. The man claimed that he had been shot with a BB gun multiple times. As police were taking his statement, they observed a young man running north and gave pursuit. The young man was apprehended a short distance away and identified as Bigknife. He claimed he was drunk. When questioned about the BB gun and where it might be, Bigknife went silent. He eventually admitted that she shot the man 15 to 16 times with a CO2 powered BB gun and showed police where he stashed the BB gun. The victim was shot three times in his left eye. He was initially treated at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Polson before being airlifted to a hospital in Missoula. A physician in Polson indicated that the man will likely lose function of his left eye.

This was the third incident involving a BB gun in Polson this summer.

Judge Molly Owen is presiding over the case and set a trial date of March 3. Bigknife is currently being held in the Lake County jail. The jail roster shows he is being held without bond.

Quequesah pleads not guilty to felony possession

POLSON — A Pablo woman is accused of dealing large amounts of the dangerous drug fentanyl. Amanda Renee Quequesah, 28, entered a plea of not guilty at District Court in Polson Sept. 14 to criminal possession with intent to distribute, felony.

According to court records, on Aug. 31, Amanda Quequesah drug agents executed a search warrant at Quequesah’s residence. The search yielded various items of drug paraphernalia and several safes. After being advised of her rights, Quequesah admitted there would be “hundreds of counterfeit fentanyl pills and about $5,000 cash” in the safes. Quequesah admitted to the agents that she had recently gotten into the drug dealing business. She denied that anyone was assisting her. In all, law enforcement officers seized $6,234 cash, a digital scale, drug paraphernalia, a notebook containing drug-sales transaction notes, a 9mm pistol with its serial number obliterated and loaded magazine. Five young children were in the home and were rounded up by child protective services. The charging documents indicate that Quequesah’s residence is approximately 300 feet from an elementary school.

Judge Molly Owen set a trial date of March 3. Quequesah is being held on $100,000 bond.

valley views Can kindness curb conflict? The science of the smile

Ihad been outside since 5:45 a.m., in 50-degree drizzle. My feet were soaked despite several changes of socks. My fellow outside poll observers, Republicans and Democrats alike, looked just as forlorn as we answered voters’ questions in Virginia during the 2018 election.

At about 2 p.m., a woman with three small kids in tow waved at us as she went in to vote. I loved seeing her – and other parents – bring their kids to the polls. “Thank you for being here!” she called to all of us as she emerged. My colleagues and I smiled at her and each other. We felt good, being part of the electoral process… cold as it was.

Fifteen minutes later, the woman reappeared. She hopped out of her SUV with a tray of Starbucks hot chocolates. “You all look cold, and I wanted to thank you.”

That was the best hot chocolate I’d ever tasted, and the warmest I’d been all day. But more importantly, I was touched by her kindness towards three total strangers.

A new University of Texas-Austin report provides a psychological explanation of what happened, with an experiment oddly similar to my experience. People were handed a cup of hot chocolate and told they could keep it or give it to someone else. Those who gave it to someone else reported a bump in their own happiness and an expected bump in the happiness of the recipient. The recipients did report a bump in happiness – but one higher than what the givers had anticipated. In other words, we underestimate the impact of our kind gestures.

Harvard Business Review reported a similar experiment with compliments, finding that, though we are happy to receive compliments, we may be reluctant to give them. Somehow, we think they will be seen as insincere or cheap. Again, we underestimate our ability to make others happy.

But these kindnesses and compliments are important, particularly now as we try to rebuild social fabric frayed by Covid isolation and toxic polarization.

We are wired with a need to feel valued and connected to others, which these unexpected kindnesses do. They raise our self-esteem and link us to each other. Research shows countless other kindness health benefits, from oxytocin reducing stress levels and blood pressure to serotonin increasing happiness.

Kindness is also contagious. Simply witnessing an act of benevolence lights up our brains positively and makes us more likely to replicate the kindness.

In fractious times, it’s a simple way to make life a little easier for everyone.

First, remind yourself that people definitely will appreciate you appreciating them. Then consider – and commit to – some research-backed options. Do a friendly check-in with potentially lonely

Valley Views Melinda Burrell PeaceVoice friends via text or a call. Send a card describing what you admire about someone. Compliment a colleague on a task they’ve completed, the more specific about what you liked, the better. Smile as you pass strangers on the street. Add an extra bump to a tip. Post a kind comment on a website. Leave a thank you note for your letter carrier.

Trust the research. They’ll appreciate it more than you’ll know. And they just might pay it forward. We need this, right?

Melinda Burrell, PhD, @MelindaCBurrell, syndicated by PeaceVoice, is a former humanitarian aid worker and now trains on the neuroscience of communication and conflict. She is on the board of the National Association for

Fingerprints on the mirror

So I finally made it. Man, how I’ve waited for this stage in life.

After years of being pregnant, breastfeeding, snuggling little ones in the middle of the night and cleaning up LEGOs off the floor day and night (after first stepping on them) I’m finally here.

Free at last. Free at last. Free. At. Last.

By free, I mean a stage in life where chaos no longer rings supreme. As much as I indulged and relished that stage, I celebrate (to an extent) its end.

I can put pillows on the bed (neatly) in the morning and know they will still be in place when I go to bed at night. I can put the cat food or water in a dish on the floor and rest assured that no one will touch it, turn it upside down or try to drink or eat it. I clean the windows and mirrors and they stay spotless. Same goes for the kitchen floor and countertops.

For a person who self-actualizes over order, it is a piece of heaven on earth. Except for one tiny factor (or two): grandchildren.

They came to visit last weekend and I was reminded of the beauty of chaos. I was reminded of the loneliness a beautifully-made, pillow-filled - albeit empty - bed can create.

After a weekend with my grands I’ve come to a couple of conclusions. Pillows be damned. A clean kitchen can check itself at the door for all I care. Give me those grand babies - those messy, sticky, sweet and lovable grand babies - chaos and all.

They’ve visited me a few times this summer.

Slices of Life Jill Pertler Syndicated columnist

see page 11 Community Mediation, which offers resources for community approaches to difficult issues.

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