Former county attorney arrested

Former Flathead County Attorney Patrick Springer is charged with two counts of felony theft for allegedly stealing money from a former client.

He was disbarred by the Montana Supreme Court a year ago as a result of the same case.

Springer, 65, was county attorney from 1974-1978. Besides serving as county attorney, Springer was a member of the Kalispell City Council from 1984 to 1987. He also ran for the Legislature and ran for District Court judge.

In court documents filed in October, Springer is accused of stealing $10,000 belonging to Patrick Tye on Nov. 1, 2001, and more than $25,000 on Nov. 13, 2001. A warrant was issued for his arrest.

He faces terms of up to 10 years on each count.

Three complaints in the disbarment procedure alleged that Springer had misappropriated money and did not provide a proper accounting of funds he held on Tye's behalf.

The complaints said that Springer represented Tye in 1990 on criminal charges. Tye was convicted and sent to Montana State Prison.

He granted Springer a power of attorney. The complaints said that Springer prepared and obtained the power of attorney when he was also serving as Tye's attorney-at-law, a prohibited business transaction.

Springer held property and conducted numerous transactions on Tye's behalf, the complaints alleged. Between 1994 and 2001, Springer took out six promissory notes for money borrowed from his client, totaling $54,350, the complaints said. The loans came from Tye's client funds and were also prohibited business transactions.

Springer also entered into an agreement to rent property belonging to Tye. In August 2001, Mr. Springer took $300 from Tye's client funds to compensate Tye for delinquent payments on the rental property - a misappropriation of client funds. And Springer "did not provide Tye a full accounting of Tye's funds when he held property and conducted transactions on Tye's behalf," the complaints said.

In August 2003, after hearings were held, the Commission on

Practice recommended the disbarment, which prohibits Springer from practicing law. Springer didn't object to either the facts of the charges or the disbarment recommendation, according to the Montana Bar Association.

He appeared on the criminal charges Wednesday before Justice of the Peace David Ortley, who released him on his own recognizance.

Springer had no comment Thursday on the charges, saying only, "It'll be taken care of."