1978-01-01 Char-Koosta News

              VOLUME 7    NUMBER 17 NEW MOON OF THE WANDERING JANUARY 1, 1978
E lection Results.....Two Incumbents Lose Council Race
Voter turn out for the Tribal Council Election was better than prior years. There were a total of 916 people that voted on the 1977 election. Two of our council men were defeated in this election, Tribal Chairman Harold Mitchell Jr. from St. Ignatius district and Council man Patrick Lefthand from Elmo/Dayton district.
The winners are: 4 year term in Arlee district is Louis W. Adams with 633 votes. 2 year term in Arlee is Fred Whitworth, Sr. , with 437 votes St. Ignatius district-Thomas (Bear-head) Swaney with 307 votes-Ronan district-Joseph McDonald with 452 votes-Poison district E.W. (Bill) Morigeau with 345 votes - Elmo/Dayton district- Laurence Kenmille with 454 votes.
On December 20, 1977 the final vote count was held at the Tribal Office in Dixon. There were 16 absentee ballots that were approved and added to the regular count. All votes were counted and several ballots were invalid because of the one year residency requirement.
The Election Judges that were present at this count were: Arlee- Harry Felix, Dixon- Janet (Tiny) Burtch, St. Ignatius - Dewey Matt, Hot Springs Forest Morigeau, Ronan- Homer Courville, Poison - Laura Matte, Elmo/ Dayton - Madaline Couture. Election Committee was Vic Stinger, Vice Chairman, Sonny Morigeau, Noel Pichette and Tom Pablo. Others that were persent were John Neuman-Acting Secretary, Linda Couture -Treasurer, Janice McClure, and Jolene
Hamann for the Char-Koosta paper. The other candidates that ran are as
follows:
DistrictsTotal Votes
Arlee 4 yr.
Lawrence Beauvais208
Arlee 2 yr.
Charles Morigeau172
Ida Sorrell Curley143
Louis Bouchard77
David Gardipe41
St. Ignatius
Baptiste Pichette210
Harold W. Mitchell Jr.174
George E. Mitchell103
James Morigeau50
James H. McLeod40
Ronan
Joseph 0. Santos Sr.114
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Two Councilmen Arrested Election Day
Two Tribal Council incumbent candidates awaited election returns from jail cells when they were arrested on separate charges.
Tribal Chairman Harold W. Mitchell, Jr. , had been arrested December 17, by the Lake County Sheriff on charges of solicitation and criminal mischief in connection with a fire which destroyed his St. Ignatius home in late October.
Lake County Attorney Richard Heinz said Mitchell was taken to Lake County jail  after  a court ordered
search turned up numerous items Mitchell claimed had been burnt in the fire. Heinz said a search of a St. Ignatius building and a Pablo trailer house where Mitchell had been staying since the fire, had discovered the alleged lost items.
Heinz said the charges alleged that Mitchell deliberately planned the fire, and that the former Tribal Chairman will be tried in district court. Mitchell is charged with allegedly hiring a juvenile to set fire to the residencewhile he was away on a trip. Heinz said that
both charges are felonies.
Meanwhile, Mitchell had been released on a $5,000 bond pending further investigation. Mitchell was not available for comment.
In a separate incident, Arlee district Councilman Louis W.Adams, was arrested by Sanders County Sheriff's deputies on charges of sexual intercourse without consent. The charge had been filed by a Hot Springs woman, whose name was being withheld.
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