Havre man denies dual incest charges, abuse, in District Court

A Havre man appeared in state District Court Monday and pleaded not guilty to accusations that he inappropriately touched and also tried to have sex with two different relatives.

Leonard E. Doney of Havre, born in 1941, had been wanted for incest and sexual assault since late October by the time he was arrested Dec. 1 on new charges involving a different relative.

Doney is charged with sexual assault and incest in the first case, and solicitation of sexual abuse of children and incest in the second case. All of the charges are felonies.  

District Court Judge Daniel Boucher and Doney's public defender, Karen Alley, often had to repeat things or speak louder because Doney is hard of hearing.

There was some confusion as to whether Doney needed to be arrested for the second pair of charges. Two detention center officers were waiting for the hearing to finish to arrest Doney on the second set of charges. Alley told Boucher she was under the understanding that her client had bonded out on both cases. She added that Doney lives alone and is not a flight risk. Putting him in the detention center might prove burdensome due to his health problems, she said.

The prosecutor, Hill County Deputy Attorney Robert McCamey, objected to Doney's release. But Boucher said, subject to a Justice Court case, Doney could remain out of jail, so long as he is clear that he is not to have any contact with anyone younger than 18.

According to court charging documents, in the first case, a 13-year-old relative told officers that Doney had touched her inappropriately multiple times and he'd said to her, when he thought she was sleeping, that he was going to take her virginity.

In the second case, court charging documents say an investigator with the Havre Police Department received a call from Child Protective Services Nov. 30 saying a 15-year-old staying there told workers that Doney, a close relative of hers, had sexually touched her.

A forensic interview was conducted, during which the girl said that "Doney had attempted multiple times to have intercourse with her."

The girl told the investigator that Doney had touched her in many areas of her body, had pressed himself against her and also made comments indicating he'd like to have sex with her. Documents say the girl said she was confused about Doney's behavior because of the close relational dynamic between the two.

The girl said she would get so uncomfortable when staying at Doney's house that she would sleep in a camper trailer.

"(Doney) would still attempt to come outside and gain access to the trailer when her father was gone," the documents say

The investigator said Doney was showing grooming tendencies toward the child including he was buying or offering her cigarettes or marijuana and smoking with her, documents say.

The officer learned that Doney had an open warrant for similar occurrences with a different child and arrested Doney at a Smithville Road address.