Barkus pleads no contest to felony in boat crash

KALISPELL (AP) — Outgoing state Sen. Greg Barkus pleaded no contest to felony criminal endangerment Thursday for crashing his boat into the rocky shoreline of Flathead Lake after a night of drinking, injuring all five people on board.

Under a plea agreement, prosecutors would drop two other felony charges against the Kalispell Republican and recommend a three-year deferred sentence for the crash that injured U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg, two of his staffers, Barkus and his wife.

District Judge John McKeon, of Malta, said he will decide whether to accept the plea agreement after a pre-sentence...