Boy sentenced to Pine Hills
<p>James Coby Smith appeared before District Court Judge Katherine Curtis on Friday in Kalispell.</p>
After going on a four-month crime spree and escaping from juvenile detention, James Smith of Hungry Horse is headed to the Pine Hills Youth Correctional Facility.
Smith, 13, previously admitted three felony counts of burglary, five misdemeanor counts of theft and one misdemeanor count of criminal trespass to property stemming from incidents between April 27 and Aug. 25.
He also admitted a felony count of escape for an Aug. 29 offense.
District Judge Katherine Curtis followed a recommendation from a juvenile placement committee — and seconded by the Flathead County Attorney’s Office — and remanded Smith to the Montana Department of Corrections to be placed at Pine Hills until he turns 18 or until officials say he may be released.
The placement was made over the objections of Smith’s attorney, Leta Womack, who requested he have the opportunity to be placed at Alternate Youth Adventures, a therapeutic youth home program in Boulder.
Womack further requested unsuccessfully that over the few weeks that it would take the program to make a ruling on Smith’s eligibility, he be allowed to return home with an ankle monitor.
Much of the reasoning behind Curtis’ choice to send Smith to Pine Hills was his recent behavior as explained by Chief Juvenile Probation Officer Nick Nyman.
Nyman said after Smith was detained the first time, he was released on house arrest and promptly left the home and committed another crime. When he was detained again, this time on Aug. 24, he only lasted five days before escaping from the Flathead County Juvenile Detention Center.
Nyman said Smith had 23 major incidents while incarcerated: pounding the walls, kicking, yelling, swearing and flooding his cell by plugging the shower and toilet with clothing.
Smith was placed in lockdown status as recently as last week.
Smith took the stand at the end of the hearing, an opportunity he took to apologize.
“I just really didn’t think it through,” he said, speaking to victims of one of his burglaries who attended the hearing. “I’m terribly sorry for what I’ve done to you guys.”
He said he also wasn’t thinking when he broke out of juvenile detention.
“I just got up and went,” he said.
In addition to being sent to Pine Hills, Smith was ordered to help pay nearly $4,800 in restitution. The burden will be shared by another youth who participated in some of the crimes.