Ketchum: Fourth time back in court brings two years

A man facing his third revocation of his release on a suspended sentence — the second in five months — was ordered to spend the rest of his sentence with the state Department of Corrections.

Andrew Ketchum of Box Elder, born in 1988, admitted earlier this month to violating conditions of his suspended sentence for an attempted burglary in 2008.

State District Judge Dan Boucher revoked his suspended sentence and resentenced him to custody, with the recommendation he be placed in a treatment program. The sentence will run at the same time as the sentence in a Cascade County case, assault with a weapon.

Ketchum pleaded guilty in April 2009 to kicking in a door of a Box Elder residence when he and others were trying to attack a man inside.

Ketchum also pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct. Four other charges were dismissed under the plea agreement.

Under the plea agreement, in June 2009 Judge Dave Rice imposed a three-year deferred imposition of sentence for the felony, meaning if Ketchum had abided by all requirements during probation, he could have petitioned to have the felony struck from his record.

He was back in court in 2010, admitting in September 2010 that he had committed violations of conditions of his release including consuming alcohol, failing to report to probation and parole, failing to pay restitution and being cited for crimes, all set to misdemeanors in amended charges. He also pleaded guilty to the crimes.

Ketchum was resentenced to five years with the DOC with the last two years suspended.

He was sentenced in Great Falls to five years, all suspended, on a 2013 charge of assault with a weapon.

Ketchum was back in court after a January request this year to revoke his release, and in March was resentenced to probation, on the charges in Hill County and Cascade County.

This month, he admitted to two counts of not reporting to probation and parole and to being kicked out of an addiction treatment program.

Judge Boucher ordered the two-year sentence to run at the same time as the Cascade County sentence.