Latest Montana news, sports, business and entertainment:

FIRE FATAL Woman's body found after trailer fire Missoula, Mont. (AP) A woman who was found dead in a Pablo trailer house that had been gutted by fire has been identified as 22-year-old Trisha-Jo Marie Plant.

The sheriff's department says the fire was reported at about 3 a.m. Wednesday. The Pablo and Ronan fire departments responded and found a trailer fully engulfed in flames.

Authorities say the trailer was reported to be unoccupied, but firefighters found Plant's body inside. They say the Pablo woman also had homes in Arlee and Ronan.

A news release from the sheriff's department says foul play is not suspected in the woman's death.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Information from: KPAX-TV, http://www.kpax.com Missoulian, http://www.missoulian.com MONTANA JAIL Mont attorney general launches investigation of jail deal with Calif company BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) Montana's attorney general has launched an investigation into a California company's plan to take over the city of Hardin's $27 million jail, following revelations that the company's lead figure is a convicted felon with a history of fraud.

Michael Hilton, who formed Santa Ana, Calif.-based American Police Force in March, came to Hardin last month promising to fill the city's never-used jail and build an adjacent military and law enforcement training center.

Hilton has a decades-long track record of fraudulent activities and spent several years in a California prison on grand theft charges. The native of Montenegro uses at least 17 aliases.

Attorney General Steve Bullock said Thursday he is asking Hardin officials for all documents related to their dealings with Hilton and American Police Force.

TROY MINE-WASTE LEAK Troy Mine pipe ruptures, spills 40 tons of waste TROY, Mont. (AP) Managers for Revett Minerals say a tailings pipe at Troy Mine has ruptured and spilled about 40 tons of mine waste, some of it into nearby Stanley Creek.

Carson Rife, Revett's vice president of operations, says Wednesday night's spill was not a "major incident." He says the pressure inside the 8-inch steel pipes is monitored constantly, and workers immediately shut down the mill when they realized there was a leak.

After the leak, Stanley and Lake creeks were tinted white by the sediment, which Rife says was primarily comprised of water and fine sand. He says the incident was reported to state and federal regulators, and no site visit is anticipated.

Lisa Peterson with the state Department of Environmental Quality, agreed, saying, "It didn't seem like the spill was going to contain any toxins." Information from: Missoulian, http://www.missoulian.com SHERIFF-BRAWL Man sentenced to 40 years in prison for attacking Blaine County sheriff HELENA, Mont. (AP) A 24-year-old man convicted of attacking the Blaine County sheriff while being taken to Montana State Prison has been sentenced to 40 years in prison without parole.

Curry James Norquay appeared in District Court on Thursday, where he received a 40-year prison sentence for assault on a peace officer. A concurrent 40-year sentence was handed down for attempted escape.

Sheriff Glenn Huestis says he and Norquay were passing through Lewis and Clark County from the Havre detention center on Dec. 23 when they stopped at the Dearborn rest area for a bathroom break.

Norquay, who was in custody on a felony aggravated burglary conviction, slipped his right hand out of his handcuffs, hit Huestis in the head and face and tried to gouge his eyes out with a ball point pen. The sheriff suffered minor injuries that required stitches.

Norquay will begin serving the latest sentences in 2032 after he completes a 25-year prison sentence for burglary.

Information from: Independent Record, http://www.helenair.com BILLINGS BEATING Man gets 50 years in prison for severe beating BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) A 23-year-old Billings man who pleaded guilty to three felony charges after a baseball-bat beating that left another man permanently disabled has been sentenced to 50 years in prison.

Joshua Schied appeared in District Court on Thursday for the Sept. 11, 2008, beating of 48-year-old Jaime Ketchum during a robbery. Jackie Ketchum earlier told Judge Gregory Todd that her husband struggles daily with numerous disabilities from a traumatic brain injury.

Schied pleaded guilty in June to aggravated burglary, aggravated assault and tampering with evidence. As part of the plea deal, he was sentenced Thursday to 65 years in prison with 15 years suspended.

Two co-defendants, 23-year-old Braden Heafner and 19-year-old Tasha Rainey, also have pleaded guilty to lesser charges related to the attack.

Charges remain pending against 25-year-old Harley Moulett.

Information from: Billings Gazette, http://www.billingsgazette.com CAT KILLINGS Back to boot camp for Helena man who tortured cats HELENA, Mont. (AP) A 20-year-old Helena man who took part in the torture and killing of two dozen cats has been ordered to return to a state-run, military-style boot camp.

Andrew J. Welch received a six-year deferred sentence in December for felony aggravated animal cruelty and a three-year deferred sentence for evidence tampering. But he was back in court in April after failing to complete the court-assigned boot camp.

Officials said he needed more in-depth counseling.

Welch, who has received an updated mental health examination, will get more counseling and will then reapply to the boot camp program in Deer Lodge.

Welch and two other men pleaded guilty to "burning, stabbing, beating, slaughtering and torturing" the cats stemming from their joint dislike of the animals. Court documents say the killings took place in several locations in and around Helena and lasted about two months before the men were arrested in September 2008.

Information from: Independent Record, http://www.helenair.com TODDLER IN TRUNK Woman pleads guilty to Social Security fraud GREAT FALLS, Mont. (AP) A 32-year-old Browning woman who was convicted of negligent homicide in the death of her 2-year-old autistic young son has pleaded guilty to Social Security fraud for continuing to cash checks meant for his care.

Summer ManyWhiteHorses entered her guilty plea Thursday before U.S. Magistrate Keith Strong. Sentencing is set for Dec. 28.

ManyWhiteHorses is serving a 55-year prison term for the death of her son, whose badly decomposing body was found in the trunk of her car last September. The boy died in late May and had been in the car trunk all summer.

Prosecutors said ManyWhiteHorses cashed $3,808 in Social Security checks after her son's death, including one for $637 on May 30, one day after it is believed he died. Prosecutors said she falsely reported she didn't get her check in July, so she was issued a replacement check, and cashed both of them.

sex offender CAUGHT Sex offender caught in Bozeman BOZEMAN, Mont. (AP) A 50-year-old man wanted for failing to register as a sex offender has been apprehended in Bozeman.

Kevin Leroy Crowder was taken into custody after he was seen walking out of a store on Tuesday.

Police issued an alert in Bozeman in September, asking for the public's help in finding him.

Bozeman police say Crowder's criminal history includes a 2006 conviction for child molestation.

Information from: KBZK-TV, http://www.kbzk.com CHILD PORN SENTENCE Billings man sentenced in child porn case BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) A Billings man has been sentenced to 17 years and six months in prison for receipt of child pornography.

Richard J. Baxter was sentenced Wednesday by Senior U.S.

District Judge Jack Shanstrom.

Baxter had pleaded guilty to the charge earlier.

Federal prosecutors says numerous images and videos of child porn were found on Baxter's computer.

Prosecutors say Baxter had pleaded guilty earlier to sexual abuse of a minor in state court.

SUPCO-Wal-Mart SUIT Montana Supreme Court paves way for Polson Wal-Mart POLSON, Mont. (AP) The Montana Supreme Court has ruled that Polson officials acted properly when they rezoned land at the foot of Flathead Lake to accommodate a Wal-Mart Supercenter.

Tuesday's unanimous decision comes a full four years after Wal-Mart began work on the project.

In 2005, Wal-Mart bought 28 acres south of Polson on the east side of U.S. Highway 93. The land was zoned for low-density residential use, but the company wanted that changed to allow "highway commercial" status. The local planning board opposed the change, but Polson City Council members approved the rezoning in 2006.

A local group called Lake County First sued the City Council, claiming the zoning change was illegal because officials ignored city and county growth policies.

Both sides eventually asked a district court to decide, and Wal-Mart prevailed. The case was then appealed to the Montana Supreme Court.

Representatives from Wal-Mart and from Lake County First were unavailable for comment late Thursday.

Information from: Missoulian, http://www.missoulian.com DEER DISEASE Disease reported in Mont white-tail deer MILES CITY, Mont. (AP) Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks says an infectious viral disease has surfaced in resident white-tailed deer in the southeast part of the state.

The agency has received reports of epizootic hemorrhagic disease, or EHD, from Glendive, Savage, Sidney, Circle, Brockway, Angela and Rock Springs.

EHD and the bluetongue virus are basically indistinguishable.

Biting flies transmit both diseases and the disease is seasonal and usually occurs late summer or early fall. A hard freeze can kill the insects and stop the spread of the disease.

To date no extensive die-offs have been reported in southeastern Montana.

The state agency says humans are not at risk by handling infected deer, eating venison from infected deer or being bitten by infected flies.

TAIWAN-wheat Taiwan delegation visits Montana GREAT FALLS, Mont. (AP) A delegation from Taiwan is in Montana this week to check out the state's wheat crop.

Taiwan buys grain every year from the United States, and a sizable amount comes from Montana.

Kim Falcon of the Montana Wheat and Barley Committee said Taiwan is one of the most significant buyers of Montana wheat. Taiwan is the second largest customer of dark northern spring wheat grown in Montana.

Ronald Lu of U.S. Wheat Associates says the Taiwanese delegation is in Montana to check out the quality of the wheat produced this year.

Falcon says Montana officials will discuss production figures after the harvest, as well as some of the quality analysis that is performed on the wheat.

Information from: KRTV-TV, http://www.krtv.com MSU-BILLINGS ENROLLMENT MSU-Billings enrollment official sets record BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) Montana State University-Billings has set a record for fall enrollment with 5,041 students.

The total student headcount is divided between the main campus with 3,635 students and its College of Technology with 1,406.

The university's total enrollment is up 7 percent over last year. At the tech college, it is up about 25 percent.

The number of full-time-equivalent students for fall semester is 4,027 students, an increase of 262 over last fall.

Until this fall, MSU-Billings enrollment had been flat over the last few years.

Information from: Billings Gazette, http://www.billingsgazette.com (Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APNP 10-02-09 0231CDT | save this article / add to your favorites list