Chase Duane Swanson and Madison Beth West each entered a not guilty plea and waived their preliminary hearings last week in the cases of their previous felony charges.
By BRYCE MARTIN
Pioneer Editor | [email protected]
Chase Duane Swanson and Madison Beth West each entered a not guilty plea and waived their preliminary hearings last week in the cases of their previous felony charges.
Prior to being charged with conspiracy to commit murder in the death of Rhame resident Nicholas Johnson last month, Swanson and West were awaiting court appearances on felony charges for unrelated incidents.
With the waiver of preliminary hearings, both Swanson and West’s case will be heard by a jury, with West’s scheduled for Dec. 7 in Bowman. Swanson’s has not yet been scheduled.
West was charged in July with two felony counts that included theft of property, a Class A felony, and felon in possession of a firearm, a Class C felony. She also faces two misdemeanors for altering a firearm and simple assault.
According to police, West had assaulted two female family members in July then fled the scene.
The family members at the time suggested that West was a danger to herself and others “stemming from her violent drug induced outbursts,” according to a court affidavit.
Those alleged victims also told police that they had found a weapon on West’s bed inside her home, a .22 semi-automatic rifle that had been sawn down to 32 inches and its serial number ground off, the affidavit stated.
The gun was later identified as one that had been stolen during a spree of thefts in Scranton.
Swanson faced three felony charges related to an incident that occurred in June.
Bowman Officer Ross Dannhoff reported in a court affidavit filed July 12 that a male victim had informed police of Swanson striking his face with a piece of steel rebar earlier that day while he was playing video games at a Bowman residence.
The man told police Swanson claimed he had a cache of weapons and threatened his life, according to the affidavit. He was later airlifted to a Bismarck hospital for a possible skull fracture and injuries sustained from the assault.
Swanson was later arrested, which is when police discovered he was in possession of methamphetamine and related paraphernalia, the document stated.
He was charged with aggravated assault, terrorizing and possession of a controlled substance, each a Class C felony.
At a preliminary hearing the state is not required to prove with absolute certainty or beyond a reasonable doubt that a crime occurred, but rather need only produce sufficient evidence to satisfy the court that a crime has been committed and that the accused is probably guilty.
The preliminary hearing is a “safety device” to prevent the accused’s detention without probable cause, and its purpose is to determine whether a trial should be held to determine the guilt or innocence of the accused.
