Deferred sentence denied for woman

Recovery likely won’t be a walk on the beach after a woman had her three-year deferred felony sentence for possession of dangerous drugs revoked on Wednesday after being denied a probation transfer to Hawaii.

Karie Marie Starks, 46, allegedly had multiple probation violations for the deferred sentence that included testing positive for methamphetamine more than once, driving without a license and being stopped by the Montana Highway Patrol with an open container and methamphetamine paraphernalia in her vehicle. Charges are pending in the Highway Patrol case.

Her probation officer Paul Parrish said Starks began performing poorly on probation shortly after the state of Hawaii denied her probation transfer to the island state.

Starks had arranged to live with her mother, but that housing arrangement fell through. She arranged accommodations on another island, but Hawaii officials were worried about how she would fare on probation without her mother as support.

“I want to just go back to Hawaii, lay on the beach, and drink mai tais,” Starks told Parrish, according to the probation officer.

Starks did not take the stand to defend herself.

Flathead District Court Judge Robert Allison revoked the suspended sentence and will resentence Starks on Jan. 21.

Reporter Megan Strickland can be reached at 758-4459 or mstrickland@dailyinterlake.com.