Kalispell man sentenced for three drug felonies

By MATT HUDSON

The Daily Inter Lake

A Kalispell man was sentenced for selling drugs to a task force informant three times in two years.

Justin Russell Hoback, 25, was sentenced to five years with the Montana Department of Corrections on Thursday in Flathead County District Court. He will be recommended for a drug treatment program.

Hoback was convicted of three felony counts of criminal distribution of dangerous drugs in three separate cases that span two years. He was also sentenced on a conviction of felony bail-jumping in a fourth case.

The first incident happened in April 2011 when a confidential informant set up a drug purchase in coordination with the Northwest Drug Task Force. Hoback sold the informant a half-gram of methamphetamine, according to court documents.

Just a month later, Hoback sold another half-gram to another informant with the task force.

Then in December 2012, an informant with the task force met with Hoback again. This time, Hoback sold a half-gram of heroin in the parking lot of an Evergreen restaurant.

This all happened before the first case was filed, which was in January 2013. Prosecutors filed successive cases over the next year.

In June 2014, Hoback was set for a jury trial on the second distribution case. He had pleaded not guilty to the charges. Hoback didn’t show up, and a fourth case was added for felony bail-jumping.In a May plea agreement Hoback entered guilty pleas for the four felonies.

The official sentence is 10 years with the Department of Corrections with five years suspended for each felony conviction. They all run concurrently and will be served at the same time.

Defense attorney Sean Hinchey said that a chemical dependency evaluation suggested Hoback receive “intensive” outpatient treatment.

District Judge David Ortley applied the recommended sentence in the plea agreement, but cautioned against future violations.

“You need to understand that it is my recommendation that you be given no tolerance,” Ortley said in reference to abiding by his sentencing guidelines.

Reporter Matt Hudson may be reached at 758-4459 or by email at mhudson@dailyinterlake.com.