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A Great Falls man convicted of raping a 15-year-old at a house party in 2017 will receive a new sentencing hearing, according to documents from the Montana Supreme Court.
Autree Aniel Pedersen, 24, was at a house party when he and a juvenile held down a teen girl and took turns raping her. He was convicted on Aug. 15, 2019.
Three months later, former Cascade County District Judge Greg Pinski sentenced him to the maximum of 100 years with no time suspended. He also stipulated that Pedersen would not be eligible for parole for 25 years or until he completes phases 1 and 2 of sex offender treatment, whichever was longer.
The trial began Monday and continued Tuesday for a Great Falls man accused of kidnapping two people on Sept. 27, 2019,
His accusers claim he threatened them with a gun, then participated in a home invasion while trying to find a man who owed him $400.
Esandro Roman Rodriguez, 19, is charged with two counts of aggravated kidnapping, and accountability to assault with a weapon, aggravated burglary and assault.
The alleged incident is not the first time Rodriguez and co-defendants Jesse James Daniels and Lauren Aviles have been accused of kidnapping someone over a perceived theft.
In a pending case, Rodriguez and Daniels allegedly held and tortured a juvenile male on Oct. 10, 2019, burning him with cigarettes and forcing him to drink rubbing alcohol. The juvenile told police that Aviles stood by and laughed.
Capt. Jeff Newton is new Great Falls chief of police
City officials made the announcement Monday afternoon. Newton s position is effective immediately.
Newton is a 22-year veteran with GFPD and has served as a captain in all the bureaus of the department.
He is from Bigfork and was born and raised in Montana, although he has done law enforcement work outside the state. He has a wife and two children and enjoys the outdoors and hunting.
Newton holds a bachelor s degree in sociology and a master s in organizational management. He has attended the FBI Academy and has served on city, county and state boards.
A Montana State Senate vote on Friday means Michele Levine will not continue as a Cascade County District Judge. It s the first time in 50 years the Senate has declined to confirm an interim judge.
At Levine s final hearing in Great Falls, a Youth in Need of Care matter, she said she told the parties that a new judge would have to get up to speed on their case.
Until then, she said, those kids are “in limbo,” and they re not the only ones. The Senate is playing with a lot of people s lives, said Levine. That breaks my heart.
Without a confirmation, Levine cannot continue working. Senate Judiciary Committee member Sen. Bryce Bennett, D-Missoula, said he s unsure of the timeline for her removal.