Charge dismissed against deputy county attorney

Thirty-four days after a Flathead County deputy attorney was charged with partner-family member assault, the misdemeanor charge has been dismissed by the Montana Attorney General’s Office.

The case against Kenneth Park was transferred to Helena after Flathead County Attorney Ed Corrigan decided it was better to avoid any hint of bias in prosecuting the case.

According to Park’s attorney, Thane Johnson, said the order dismissing the case “simply says the state was convinced that they could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt the allegations as asserted in the complaint.”

Park, 46, was arrested Friday, April 26, at his Kila home after his wife called 911 for help at 9:26 p.m. She reported that her husband had been drinking and throwing things at her, a problem she claimed had been going on for a while but had gotten worse. She complained of a bruised arm and scratched ankle.

Flathead County Justice of the Peace Mark Sullivan showed up at the Flathead County Detention Center at 12:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 27, and conducted an initial appearance hearing for Park. He was released on his own recognizance and didn’t have to sit in a jail cell until Monday, when the two county justices of the peace have regular hours.

Park was back at his regular job in the Flathead County Attorney’s Office on May 30.