Man could be banned from Columbia Falls
By HEIDI DESCH / Hungry Horse News
As part of plea agreement a Columbia Falls man will agree to not enter city limits or surrounding areas.
Mark Irvine pleaded guilty to burglary in Flathead County District Court. A charge of possession of dangerous drugs was dropped as part of a plea agreement.
Under the plea agreement the County Attorney's office will recommend a 10-year suspended sentence as long as Irvine complies with a number of conditions, according to court documents.
One of those conditions states that Irvine "shall not enter in any manner in the city limits of Columbia Falls, Hungry Horse or West Glacier, nor the area which connects each of those cities." Exceptions to the condition are that he may still reside at his home on Berne Lane and be permitted within the area that allows him to access his home. He is permited to be within the area of the bridge crossing the Flathead River and continueing up to his home on U.S. Highway 2.
The charges stem from an incident at his home early this year when police received a 911 call from Irvine's wife, Pattie, stating that a man was pointing a gun at her husband.
When Flathead County Sheriff's deputies arrived, the man said that Irvine had stolen numerous items form him.
Two bags containing marijuana were also found. One bag contained eight plants and five other plants, ranging from eight inches to three feet in height. The plants appeared to have recently been harvested.
Irvine pleaded guilty to the charge in September. A restitution hearing has been set for early next year.
In another case, Mark and Pattie Irvine are the owners of Mark's Environmental Service. The Department of Environmental Quality cited the company for incorrectly disposing of sewage and other waste on farm land near Creston.
In a judgment issued in District Court last year, the company was fined about $13,000.
Fines were for operating a septic pumping business without a license, disposing of sewage without completing an application or documenting permission from the landowner, dumping sewage on adjacent property, not keeping accurate records, and applying sewage on land without following appropriate environmental methods.