Woman pleads innocent in shooting incident

A 53-year-old Whitefish woman pleaded not guilty to a felony charge of criminal endangerment Thursday in Flathead District Court.

According to court documents, Dana Gesek fired a round from her 9-millimeter semiautomatic handgun during a Jan. 13 altercation.

Officers responded to the scene after an apparently drunk man reported Gesek had just shot at him.

They found her hiding in the dark in a home’s bathroom. She allegedly refused to cooperate due to her intoxicated state but told officers the man had pushed her down and one shot was fired.

The gun was found on a shelf inside the front door. It was loaded and had an unejected spent casing “stovepiped” in the chamber. Several live rounds also were found outside the building and in Gesek’s vehicle.

According to the documents, the man’s story changed several times while he spoke with officers, but he consistently said Gesek had fired a shot at or near him. She was arrested and incarcerated at the Flathead County Detention Center.

In later discussions with police, Gesek said the man had been physically violent with her throughout the day of the incident, at one point grabbing her by her hair and throwing her to the asphalt.

She allegedly admitted she then got her gun from her vehicle and fired off a round.

If convicted, Gesek faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $50,000. Her next hearing is scheduled for Feb. 15.