Man charged with assault

A Kalispell man with prior assault convictions pleaded not guilty Thursday in Flathead District Court to an alleged violent assault on a woman.

Lealon Franklin III, 32, is charged with what would be his third offense of partner or family member assault, a felony.

According to a court document, officers responded to Franklin’s home on May 5 after receiving a report that he had beaten a woman unconscious. When they gained access to the house through Franklin’s landlord, officers reportedly found Franklin and the woman in a bedroom.

The woman had a cut above her eye, several bruises on her face and around her neck, a scrape on one shoulder and one eye that was nearly swollen shut.

The document states that a witness told police Franklin pushed the woman down on the porch and “stomped” on her head many times until she lost consciousness, and  after the assault the woman seemed to be having trouble breathing.

The witness said she asked Franklin for a phone so she could call an ambulance, but he refused, and she tried getting phones from passing vehicles before running to a gas station to call 911.

Franklin’s prior convictions for partner or family member assault came in November 2011 in Butte-Silver Bow County and February this year in Kalispell Municipal Court.

“In addition to his prior convictions for partner or family member assault, Franklin has been convicted of at least four different felonies, each occurring on a separate occasion,” the court document states. “One of Franklin’s felony convictions is for malicious conduct by a prisoner.”

If convicted, Franklin faces between 30 days and one year in jail or up to five years in prison, plus a fine of between $500 and $50,000. His next hearing is set for June 12.

Franklin is currently incarcerated in the Flathead County Detention Center, where his bond is set at $40,000.