C-Falls man's forgery sentence revoked for second time
A 30-year-old Columbia Falls man’s sentence for forgery was revoked for the second time after he racked up numerous probation violations.
Flathead County District Court Judge David Ortley revoked the sentence Judge Ted Lympus gave Robert Bechtel, aka Robert Beckdahl, in May 2010. Ortley sentenced Bechtel on Jan. 17 to three years with the Department of Corrections, all suspended.
According to court records, Bechtel initially faced two separate felony forgery charges after he allegedly forged 27 checks to businesses across the Flathead in July 2007 totaling $1,985 and forged 12 checks at the Silver Bullet Bar and Ferk’s Casino in October 2008 totaling $1,465. He faced up to 20 years and a $50,000 fine for each charge.
In a plea agreement, the county attorney’s office agreed to dismiss one of the charges and recommend a six-year deferred sentence if Bechtel agreed to pay $3,450 in restitution. Judge Katherine Curtis sentenced Bechtel according to the plea agreement in June 2009, adding a $1,000 fine with half suspended and a $500 public defender fee with half suspended.
By March 2010, however, Bechtel had racked up more probation violations, including refusing to provide a breath sample after his recent arrest in Kalispell. Bechtel was charged with DUI, possession of dangerous drugs and being a habitual traffic offender in that case.
Bechtel had also been arrested in August 2009 in Kalispell and charged with DUI, DUI per se, driving with a suspended license and violating his probation. His blood alcohol at that time was 0.151. He also allegedly failed urine tests twice for marijuana and admitted smoking marijuana.
“His continued violations make it clear he is no longer appropriate for community supervision,” a violation report stated.
Lympus agreed with the report’s recommendation and revoked Bechtel’s deferred sentence. Lympus sentenced Bechtel to five years with the Department of Corrections with three suspended.
Bechtel, an unemployed construction worker, continued to live in a camper on his father’s property. He also continued to rack up probation violations, including possessing firearms, failing to show up for appointments, failing a urine test for marijuana and a theft charge that was under investigation.
The probation report noted that three close friends or family members of Bechtel’s had recently died, “pushing him close to or over the edge.”
The report recommended that Bechtel’s sentence be revoked and he be given a three-year suspended sentence, which Ortley did on Jan. 17.