Gideon completes sentence in 2017 case; awaiting judge’s order in 2024 attempted deliberate homicide case
Jeremiah Gideon was in court shortly before Christmas on a 2017 case.
Gideon has been held in the Cascade County Adult Detention Center on charges of attempted deliberate homicide for hitting and seriously injuring a Montana Credit Union employee with his vehicle in October 2024.
The prosecution and defense have been awaiting an order from Judge John Kutzman on issues of fitness for nearly a year in that case.
On Dec. 17, Gideon appeared in court on the 2017 case of felony criminal endangerment and a first offense misdemeanor DUI.
He was sentenced on those charges in 2017 and in December, his attorney asked Judge David Grubich to determine that he had served his sentence in that matter.
Plea negotiations underway as lawyers await judge’s order in 2024 attempted deliberate homicide case
Ryan Ball, the prosecutor for the Cascade County Attorney’s Office, said they agreed that Gideon had served his sentence in the county jail on the 2017 charges.
Grubich agreed and declared that sentence completed.
Proceedings for Gideon’s 2024 attempted deliberate homicide charges have been slowed due to his mental state and fitness to proceed, complicated by delays at the Montana State Hospital in evaluating his, and other defendants, fitness or providing the necessary treatment.
The case highlighted significant issues within the criminal justice system pertaining to mental health and delays at the Montana State Hospital. The 2025 Legislature attempted to address those issues and made some changes that are being argued in Gideon’s case.
Gideon has been taking his medication and been deemed fit to proceed, as of Dec. 17, according to the county attorney’s office.
His trial has been set for March 9, but that’s dependent on Kutzman issuing an order regarding the issues of fitness and speedy trial.
In January 2025, Michael Kuntz, Gideon’s defense attorney, filed a motion to dismiss on the 90-day isuse and in July 2025, filed another motion to dismiss on the grounds of speedy trial violations.
The county attorney’s office has argued against dismissal.
A plea agreement is in the works, but is also dependent on Kutzman’s order, according to the county attorney’s office.
Gideon hit a credit union employee on Oct.9. 2024 and during subsequent interviews, threatened investigators.
Kutzman civilly committed Gideon to the Montana State Hospital for treatment in August 2024, but within about five weeks, he’d been released and arrested on a new assault charge, then about a week later, hit the bank employee with his vehicle.
Last year, the court was awaiting a determination whether Gideon was fit to stand trial for the Oct. 9 incident and Gideon was civilly committed to the Montana State Hospital in February.
In April, Gideon was transferred back to the Cascade County jail and local prosecutors filed a motion asking that the county, through medical professionals at the jail, could involuntarily medicate Gideon if needed.
State hospital staff determined in April that Gideon “has reached maximum benefit” but since he’s still facing a $500,000 bond in the current criminal case, he’s remained in the county jail through the criminal proceedings.
So far, Gideon has been voluntarily taking medication, which his attorney said during a July 31 hearing was lithium.
At the end of June, a provider evaluated Gideon finding him fit to proceed, according to lawyers during the hearing.
During a July 31 hearing, Michael Kuntz, Gideon’s defense attorney, said the case was nearing the 300 day mark and filed a motion to dismiss on the grounds of speedy trial violations.
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There’s an underlying argument from Gideon’s defense that the case should be dismissed because it took far longer than 90 days, which is specified in state statute, for Gideon to be evaluated for fitness to proceed, with significant delays by the state hospital despite court orders.
“This is the law. It must be applied fairly and equally,” Kuntz said, acknowledging the severity of the charges against Gideon.
During the 2025 Legislative session, that law was changed and the prosecution has argued that Gideon’s rights weren’t violated in relation to the 90 day timeline.
Kutzman asked Ball to file a short brief, which he filed on Aug. 8, on those legislative changes and whether they were retroactive.
In his brief, Ball wrote that the defense was relying on a provision of state code that there’s a 90-day limit on the time a defendant can be held, but that the court is not operating under that provision and it only applies when a report has been submitted deeming a defendant unfit to proceed.
County attorney: attempted homicide suspect released from state hospital without notice [2024]
In addressing the defense’s argument that the legislative change altered the provision and that the case must be dismissed, Ball wrote that the “major change to this statute that is important to the defendant’s theory of how this case should be handled is the change in statute that no longer reads that the proceedings must be dismissed. Instead, the court is ordered to assess how to proceed, from dismissal to alternatives like involuntary medication. This is especially relevant in this case, where the subject of involuntary medication has been broached, but not ordered as [Gideon] has been restored to fitness and is compliant with necessary medications. Simply put, the new language in the statute is entirely supportive of the manner in which this case has progressed.”
Ball wrote that the law change doesn’t change the purpose or substance of the law, but instead clarifies the process and “based on this, the state believes that these changes to the statute apply to the instant case, and are beneficial to the State’s position against dismissal.”
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