Woman arrested during Majestic Valley Arena brawl changes plea

The Washington state woman arrested for allegedly wielding a bat during a large brawl involving outlaw motorcycle clubs at Majestic Valley Arena in February pleaded guilty Thursday to felony criminal endangerment.

Brandi Laree Partney, 37, of Walla Walla entered the guilty plea to the amended charge before Judge Danni Coffman in Flathead County District Court on July 20 after striking a deal with prosecutors. She originally faced counts of assault with a weapon and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence following the fracas.

Under the terms of the agreement, prosecutors will recommend Partney serve a five-year sentence with the state Department of Corrections at her sentencing, which Coffman set for Oct. 10.

Partney was one of just two people authorities arrested after a boxing event devolved into a donnybrook on Feb. 11. Flathead County Sheriff Brian Heino wrote in a press release that the brawl involved as many as 50 people, sparking a flood of 911 calls about 9:30 p.m.

The Flathead County Sheriff’s Office responded to the arena alongside Montana Highway Patrol and the Kalispell Police Department, finding “a chaotic scene” at the venue, Heino said. Investigators later determined that members of the Pagans and Warlords motorcycle clubs fought in the melee, officials said.

Partney allegedly was caught on camera wielding a wooden bat during the brawl, court documents said. Investigators believe she struck a minor with the weapon, though she denied the juvenile’s version of the story, telling authorities she merely pointed the bat at him.

She also told investigators she stowed the bat in a truck, but could not recall which vehicle, specifically, court documents said. Authorities never recovered the wooden bat.

The only other person detained during the melee was held for disorderly conduct and later released, authorities said.

In the following months, local authorities arrested the man they consider the leader of the local chapter of the Pagans, Michael Allan Murphy, on charges of issuing bad checks. His cases are expected to go to trial later this summer, according to court records.

Murphy has denied a leadership position in the group, which the Department of Justice describes as an outlaw motorcycle club, telling the Inter Lake earlier this year that there are too few members in the Flathead Valley to constitute a chapter. He also refuted attempts to liken the club to a criminal organization, saying the widespread perception of the group as an outlaw motorcycle club was no longer accurate.

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

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