Prosecutors in the Montana Attorney General’s Office requested that a new judge be substituted for Judge Elizabeth Best in the criminal case against former undersheriff John Stevens.

Stevens has been charged with a count of felony theft in district court for taking firearms that had been purchased with county funds with him when he retired from the Cascade County Sheriff’s Office without filing the proper paperwork to request permission.

Charges filed against second former CCSO employee

All other local district judges declined the case. Judge Amy Eddy out of Kalispell has agreed to take the case.

County approves prosecutorial assistance in second CCSO case, no charges yet filed

County officials confirmed in early April that Stevens is no longer employed by Cascade County and the job opening for DES coordinator/emergency manager position is posted on the county website. The application period closes Friday.

Former CCSO undersheriff charged with felony theft

Stevens was employed with CCSO for more than 20 years until he retired from the department on Jan. 12, 2018.

DCI investigating irregular purchases at Cascade County Sheriff’s Office

The county announced in November 2017 that Stevens had been selected as the DES coordinator.

Former county employee pleaded guilty in federal court to $31K theft from Cascade County Sheriff’s Office

He’d been on administrative leave since December 2018 and CCSO Capt. Scott Van Dyken has been acting DES coordinator since December.