From the courts: District Court

A Havre man was sentenced March 5 in District Court in Havre to a six-month suspended sentence for kicking in the door, entering a residence with a gun and scaring those inside.

John A. Morsette, born in 1985, received six months in jail, all suspended, credit for five days served for the misdemeanor offenses of criminal trespass and assault.

Morsette was first charged with felony charges aggravated burglary and assault with a weapon. A jury found him innocent of those charges Jan. 12 but guilty of the lesser including offenses of criminal trespass and assault.

District Court Judge Daniel Boucher said Morsette will be allowed to get his gun back after his probationary period.

A woman reported Jan. 26, 2017, to Havre Police city dispatch that her brother, Morsette, kicked in the door and pulled a gun on someone. Officers responded and spoke to the people in the residence.

Three people told officers that Morsette pulled a gun on two people after he and another person kicked in the door. Morsette, court charging documents say, had a concealed weapons permit.

Documents describe a chaotic scene after Morsette’s entry. One of the people reported that she was very sacred and described the pistol as being gray or black.

Morsette and the other person left the residence after someone threatened to call the police, the charging document says.

Morsette spoke to an officer at the police department later. Court documents say he admitted to going over to the residence with the intention of fighting someone who was there, to kicking in the door and having a pistol on him. Morsette told the officer the only time he had his pistol out was when he kicked the door, later adding that he had the pistol in his holster, only it was uncovered.

Morsette said the other person was with him.

Officers went over to Morsette’s apartment and seized the pistol, a black and gray Taurus 1911.

Officers spoke to the other person who entered the residence with Morsette. The person said he went there with the intention of fighting the same person Morsette said he wanted to. He said Morsette did have a gun on him. He also said that he did not remember pushing anyone, and that he apologized and left once the argument was over.