Polson man denies trying to hire hit man

POLSON (AP) — A Polson man has denied charges he tried to hire someone to kill his ex-girlfriend to prevent her from testifying that he raped her.

Defense attorney Ben Anciaux entered not guilty pleas Wednesday on behalf of Dennis Hobbs. Hobbs, 56, is charged with solicitation of deliberate homicide, stalking and tampering with witnesses and informants. He was charged last year with two counts of sexual intercourse without consent and assault with a weapon after the ex-girlfriend reported Hobbs had raped her.

District Judge James Manley scheduled Hobbs’ trial for Aug. 18.

Lake County prosecutors allege that after Hobbs posted bond in the August 2013 rape case, he drove by his ex-girlfriend’s residence and her place of work, sent her flowers, made hang-up phone calls and several times asked the nephew of the then-Ronan Police Chief John Mitchell if he could find someone to kill her.

Mitchell told Lake County officers they should interview his sister, Monica Mitchell, and her son, Wayne Kibler, about Hobbs’ actions.

Monica Mitchell told detectives that Hobbs had contacted Kibler to find someone to kill his ex-girlfriend to prevent her from testifying, charging documents said. Kibler has several previous felony convictions, and Hobbs believed Kibler had contacts from his time in prison with people in a gang who could be hired to kill someone, court records said.

Kibler said Hobbs told him that payment for the killing would be a detailed map of a residence filled with guns and coins and other expensive items that the killer would be able to steal, charging documents said.

Monica Mitchell also told investigators that she saw Hobbs using her computer to monitor the Facebook activities of his ex-girlfriend and her daughter. She said she was with Hobbs when he drove by his former girlfriend’s residence and knew he was doing so to try to scare her, court records said.

Lake County Attorney Mitch Young told Manley that the investigation into the murder-for-hire and other charges turned up additional evidence against Hobbs in the rape case. He declined to detail the nature of that evidence.

Anciaux didn’t challenge Hobbs’ $5 million bail. Hobbs is on probation in Idaho for several felony convictions.