Man accused of robbing cannabis outlet sentenced after pleading no contest

The man accused of threatening a cannabis store employee in Kalispell unless she gave him marijuana received a suspended six-month sentence on Sept. 26.

Joel William Vessie, 29, pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges of assault and theft in a change of plea hearing immediately prior to his sentencing. Initially facing a single count of felony robbery, Vessie saw the charges lessened after reaching a deal with prosecutors.

In exchange for his plea, prosecutors recommended he receive the suspended six-month sentence in the county jail and pay various fines and fees. They also asked that he receive credit for any time served.

During the court hearings, prosecutors said that the victim in the case supported the agreement. She was working at the cannabis outlet April 17 when Vessie entered and asked for one or two buds of marijuana, court documents said. He allegedly began threatening her when she refused, saying that he knew people who hurt her.

She ultimately handed over a joint, court documents said.

When authorities caught up to Vessie, they allegedly found an empty marijuana tube on him.

During his arraignment before Judge Heidi Ulbricht in May, Vessie acknowledged a substance abuse problem as part of an effort to see bail, originally set at $75,000, lowered. In court Sept. 26, defense attorney Alisha Rapkoch noted that Vessie had completed treatment at a recovery center in the months since his arrest.

Ulbricht largely stuck to the terms of the agreement, giving Vessie the suspended six-month stint for misdemeanor assault. She ordered him to pay $75 in court fees and suspended a $100 court fine. Ulbricht also gave him credit for 53 days of time served.

For the second misdemeanor count, theft, Ulbricht ordered Vessie to pay $75 in court fees and suspended a $100 fine.

News Editor Derrick Perkins can be reached at 758-4430 or dperkins@dailyinterlake.com.