New justice of the peace selected

The Daily Inter Lake

Dale P. Trigg, of Somers, was selected Monday for a new part-time justice of the peace position in Flathead County.

The Flathead County commissioners chose Trigg from two finalists whose applications were forwarded from a selection committee.

Among Trigg's references is a letter from U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft, for whom Trigg worked as a legislative aide.

He graduated from the University of Missouri School of Law.

He currently works at the Henning & Keedy law firm in Kalispell, mostly handling plaintiff litigation.

He worked at a Newport Beach, Calif., law firm, mostly in defense litigation. He was also legal counsel for the Palau Public Lands Authority in Micronesia and was an assistant prosecuting attorney in Greene County, Mo.

He comes highly recommended, according to Flathead County Justice of the Peace David Ortley, who was on the selection committee.

"I'm excited to have him come on," Ortley said.

Trigg will be sworn into office on Jan. 3.

"He'll shadow me for the first week and then he'll take over" some of the justice's duties.

Trigg's position will be up for election in 2006.

He was selected from a field of five candidates for the job in a second round of interviews. The selection committee invited more applications after four people initially applied.