Woman convicted in school altercation

Hungry Horse News

A Hungry Horse woman was sentenced to jail time after she was convicted in a jury trial last Wednesday on a disorderly conduct charge stemming from an altercation at the high school.

Melanie White, 44, was sentenced to 10 days in jail and fined $185 for the incident, with seven days of the jail sentence suspended. White also has to pay court costs.

Police initially charged White with one count each of privacy in communications, disorderly conduct and criminal defamation in August of last year.

The defamation charge was later dropped. All are misdemeanor charges.

White allegedly entered the high school gym on Aug. 18 and got into an altercation with school staff and some players of the volleyball team after her daughter was apparently cut from the volleyball team. She was then went with the volleyball coaches to the principals' office where she got into an altercation with Columbia Falls High School Principal Terri Burghardt and assistant principal John Cooper.

The coaches and the two principals were prosecution witnesses in the trial.

The privacy in communications charge was set to go to trial this week, after the Hungry Horse News went to press.

Privacy in communications charge stems from a telephone conversation with Athletic Director John Thompson on the day after the incident.

The charge, under Montana law, makes it illegal to use foul language and to harass a person or threaten them by electronic means, including a phone.

White was expected to appeal the disorderly conduct conviction to Flathead County District Court, which is a court of record. She has 10 days to do so.

The appeal would result in a completely new trial. City court cases are not courts of record and have no transcripts of testimony and other court proceedings.

Her trial in city court went from early in the morning to about 7:30 p.m. said Columbia Falls City Court Judge Tina Gordon.