Convicted felon charged for grabbing at deputy’s gun during arrest

A Lakeside man sentenced in multiple cases over the summer is back in county jail after allegedly attacking his girlfriend Jan. 4 and trying to grab a deputy’s gun during his subsequent arrest.

James Scott Mende, 37, faces one felony count of threats or improper influence in official or political matters and misdemeanor counts of resisting arrest and partner or family member assault in Flathead County District Court. He remains behind bars with bail set at $50,000. 

Flathead County Sheriff’s Office deputies headed to a Center Court home in Lakeside last week after a caller reported hearing a man telling his girlfriend he was going to “kick her [expletive],” according to charging documents. Knocking on the door, they met with a woman with dried blood around her nose, and red and watering eyes. Mende was inside and sitting on a couch when authorities arrived, court documents said. 

Asked about injuries, Mende allegedly stood up and threatened the deputies. 

The victim, meanwhile, told authorities that Mende slapped her, leaving her with a bloody nose, court documents said. Investigators reported spotting blood on her pants and a bloody paper towel on the coffee table. 

When authorities attempted to arrest Mende, he allegedly fought back and reached for a deputy’s gun and holster. One deputy hit Mende in the face and another employed a stun gun on the 37-year-old, court documents said. 

In custody and en route to the county jail, Mende allegedly began accosting the deputy accompanying him. Mende threatened to hurt him and his wife while also challenging him to a fight, according to court documents. Mende simultaneously tried to break the cage in the patrol vehicle, court documents alleged. 

IT’S NOT the first time prosecutors have accused Mende of threatening authorities. One of the three cases wrapped up over the summer involved Mende allegedly threatening to harm a deputy’s wife while challenging him to a fight. Deputies had arrested him after he drunkenly tried to get inside a closed Lakeside saloon, according to court documents.

In April, Mende pleaded guilty by way of an Alford plea to the subsequent felony threats or improper influence case as well as an outstanding misdemeanor partner or family assault charge. Judge Amy Eddy also found him in violation of a suspended sentence stemming from a 2022 criminal endangerment conviction. 

In an Alford plea, a defendant maintains their innocence but acknowledges a jury likely would find them guilty.

Mende earned a three-year sentence with the state Department of Corrections for the felony conviction and two years for the revoked suspended sentence in July. The two were to run consecutively. 

Eddy also handed down a one-year sentence in the county jail for the partner or family member assault conviction with 364 days suspended. She ordered it to run concurrently with the other two sentences. 

In his latest felony case, Mende is scheduled to appear again before Eddy on Jan. 11 for his arraignment. If convicted of improper threats or influence, the most serious crime, Mende faces up to 10 years in Montana State Prison and a $50,000 fine.