County’s Attorney Facing Jail As ‘Important Cases’ Pending

Lincoln County Attorney Charles Sprinkle has several complicated cases to prosecute in coming months, including three suspected murderers.

But Sprinkle faces jail time himself after his deferred sentence was revoked in a domestic abuse case.

Attorney General Joe Mazurek said there are “obviously important cases” pending in Lincoln County, “and if they aren’t getting dealt with, then we’ll respond; we’ll look into those.”

Those cases include a Eureka, Mont., woman who allegedly asphyxiated her daughter, a Las Vegas man who investigators believe was murdered by hunting companions in the mountains southwest of Trego, Mont., and a woman charged with fatally shooting her husband at their house near Happy’s Inn, between Kalispell and Libby, Mont.

Sources reported that Sprinkle has not tried a case before a jury since he took office in January 1995.

Mazurek said if that is true, it is a concern for his office. But he said the attorney general’s office seldom has stepped in to help with cases unless it is asked.

Sprinkle faces up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine after violating his deferred sentence in a domestic abuse case involving his ex-wife.

He is scheduled to go on trial July 1 after being charged with misdemeanor assault for allegedly hitting a woman in a bar Feb. 4. Sprinkle also is accused of beating a man outside a bar several days later and could face additional charges.

Meanwhile, Lincoln County Commissioner Larry Dolezal said most of the county’s cases are being handled by Deputy County Attorney Bernie Cassidy.

Sheriff Ray Nixon and Lt. Don Bernall, the sheriff’s chief of detectives, say communication between them and the county attorney’s office has been almost non-existent since Sprinkle took office.

“He has yet to call down here to talk with me on any of these cases,” Bernall said, referring to the pending murder cases. “I’ve always got a concern, and my concern is for the victims and the rest of the county.”

Several sources and court records indicate that Sprinkle has dealt with nearly all of his criminal cases through plea bargaining.

In some cases, when a judge has refused to go along with a plea bargain, he simply has dropped the charges.

A man was charged with driving under the influence after officers found him passed out behind the wheel of a vehicle in a ditch along a state highway. The driver had a blood-alcohol level of 0.22, more than twice the legal limit.

Sprinkle proposed a plea agreement to reduce the charge to a speeding-basic rule violation.

Justice of the Peace Marlene Herreid refused the agreement. “To be guilty of speeding-basic rule, the defendant must be driving a vehicle on a public highway of this state and be driving at a … speed that is not reasonable and proper,” Herreid wrote.

Sprinkle then dropped the charges.