Kalispell man pleads no contest in stabbing case

On Thursday, a 28-year-old Kalispell man pleaded no contest to felony criminal endangerment for stabbing another man six times on Feb. 3 following an argument.

Justin Westermeyer will be sentenced Feb. 18.

The plea was part of an agreement reached by prosecutors and defense attorneys. Defense attorneys acknowledged that there was a substantial risk of conviction if the case went to trial, but prosecutors also said that there was a legitimate argument for self-defense that might make it difficult to get a conviction for the original felony assault with a charge.

The victim’s private attorney objected to the plea agreement in a Dec. 10 hearing, but there were no further objections Thursday.

Westermeyer blew a kiss to someone in the audience as he was taken back into custody.