Rape suspect gets bond amount reduced

The Daily Inter Lake

A Kalispell man accused of sexual intercourse without consent had his bond reduced to $50,000 Thursday by District Judge Kitty Curtis.

Bond had been set at $100,000 for Keith Mathias Mordja, but he argued that was an undue hardship.

Mordja, 49, is accused of having sex with a girl about 150 times over a period of four years, when she was 12 to 16 years old.

He has been held in the Flathead County jail since he was taken into custody Jan. 30.

Monica Mordja, his wife of 23 years, testified the couple has five children and he has no criminal history.

She told defense attorney Vicki Frazier he is not a flight risk because a back injury and surgery cause him to live in "excruciating pain every day." She said he sees a counselor for pain control and would continue if released, but resists taking medication regularly to avoid becoming addicted.

He has not worked in 2 1/2 years. She said her four-day work week would help monitor his house arrest if released.

Tamara Bowen, a registered nurse at the jail, testified Mordja was placed on high suicide watch when first arrested, and cited his words, "I will not be alive if I'm still in jail next Wednesday."

Bowen related a Feb. 1 incident when Mordja was upset that officers did not tell him when he would be out. She said he refused to talk or remove a blanket from his head. When he would not cooperate in getting off the floor of his cell, she worried that he would hurt himself and asked that he be put in a soft cell and be given medication dispensed at the jail.

His wife later testified that the jail prohibits her from bringing his own medications from home.

Mordja eventually apologized and was returned to his own cell, but repeated his wish to leave jail. He began refusing to take medication, telling Bowen he could not sleep. She offered to change the times it was administered but he insisted he did not need it at all.

"I was concerned that he was going to hurt himself one way or the other," Bowen said.

But, on questioning from Curtis, she said his doctor's prescription for an antidepressant was intended partially to address suicidal tendencies. Continuing the medication would reduce the chance he would hurt himself, she said. She did not feel he would hurt others.

Deputy County Attorney Dan Guzynski told the court that Mordja's alleged victim fears him and does not want to see him released.

Frazier argued for releasing Mordja on his own recognizance, or at most setting bond at $10,000 - the alleged incidents happened seven years ago, she said, and he has promised never to see the alleged victim again.

Guzynski countered that another alleged victim, who cannot file charges because the statute of limitations has expired, also opposes his release. And he said the victim fears his reaction now that the details of the case are public.

Guzynski cited a letter Mordja wrote to the girl, saying "you always had a piece of my heart … I was there when you needed love [but] I gave it in the wrong way."

Mordja "essentially admitted what the state alleged," Guzynski said.

Curtis decided to lower bond but, to "ensure the safety of the community," reduced it to an amount substantial enough "to ensure he will comply" with terms of release, including formal house arrest.

A pretrial conference is March 7. A jury trial is scheduled for the April 9 trial term of District Judge Ted Lympus.

Reporter Nancy Kimball may be reached at 758-4483 or by e-mail at nkimball@dailyinterlake.com