Former speaker of House pleads not guilty to assault

A Havre landlord and former speaker of the Montana House of Representatives pleaded not guilty Thursday in District court to the accusation that he threatened a tenant with a shotgun while she was trying to move out of a property she was renting from him.  

Bob Bergren, 52, pleaded not guilty to assault with a weapon.

County Attorney Gina Dahl asked District Judge Daniel Boucher to require, as part of his conditions of release, that Bergren participate in the 24/7 Sobriety Program and that he wear a SCRAM — Systems Alcohol and Location Monitoring — bracelet.

The alleged incident happened Aug. 29, when Christina Trottier reported that Bergren, her landlord, had been harassing her.

Charging documents say Trottier told deputies that Bergren was yelling and walked to her residence holding a 12-gauge shotgun and ultimately pointed it at her.

Trottier called the police and after knocking on Bergren’s door, documents say Bergren responded by asking “friend or foe.”

While talking to Bergren, charging documents say, the deputy smelled alcohol on his breath. Bergren told the deputy that he did take his shotgun with him, but that he did not point it at Trottier.

Documents say the deputy found that the shotgun had a round in the chamber with the pump locked to the rear and that Bergren told the deputy "something to the effect of the shotgun is long enough to reach out and touch somebody."

He was then arrested.

Bergren previously posted bond and was released from the Hill County Detention Center in early September.