Bodies of superintendant, wife, found in Chester

The bodies of Chester-Joplin-Inverness Schools Superintendent Francis LaBounty and his wife, Tanya LaBounty, were found dead, each with a gunshot to the head, in Chester Tuesday at 11:29 a.m.

The Liberty County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release late Wednesday morning that a .357 revolver was recovered at the scene, Tanya LaBounty’s residence.

The bodies have been taken to Billings for autopsies.

Tanya LaBounty had been living apart from her husband since Dec. 1, when Francis LaBounty had been arrested after a domestic disturbance was reported at their Chester home, the release says.

“Tanya LaBounty obtained a protective order against her husband and was living in a separate residence where the shootings occurred,” the news release says.

Tanya LaBounty also worked in the CJI school district, as a paraprofessional at CJI High School.

A representative at the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday that she was not prepared to give any of the documents to the Havre Daily related to Francis LaBounty’s Dec. 1 arrest.

CJI Principal Rita Chvilicek said in a voice mail to the Havre Daily News Wednesday morning that CJI School went into lockdown “due to an incident that occurred in Chester” and added in an email later that the lockdown happened Tuesday. School resumed Wednesday, she added.

Chvilicek said Francis LaBounty had been the superintendent for CJI schools since July 1 and that he came from Brockton. His wife came to the district at the same time.

Francis LaBounty attended a meeting of regional superintendents Nov. 3 in the Montana State University-Northern Fireside Room, where he made comments on the daunting task of hiring teachers for Hi-Line schools.