August 19, 2003
Boundary County Prosecutor Jack Douglas today re-filed charges against a couple who allegedly sold marijuana to minors for a period of over a year, and a woman whose failure to honor a subpoena that resulted in dismissal of the case last month could face charges as well.
Charges of delivery of a controlled substance, a felony, and possession of marijuana and possession of paraphernalia, both misdemeanors, were filed June 26 against Dale Van Morehouse, 32, Bonners Ferry, and his wife, Dorothy Marie Morehouse, 47, both of Bonners Ferry, after Doris David took her minor son to the sheriffs office with concerns that her son had been smoking marijuana. Bonners Ferry police officer Marty Ryan spoke to the youth with his mother present, and learned that the boy had purchased the marijuana from Dale Morehouse.
When confronted at a local motel, both confessed, saying they had sold at least 416 quarter-ounce bags of marijuana in the last year, netting an estimated $37,440; over half the sales, the admitted, were to minors.
A preliminary hearing had been set July 28, but David and her son, the primary witnesses in the case, failed to appear. Douglas had little choice but to dismiss the charge without prejudice, meaning he could re-file at a later date.
Douglas issued a show cause order for disobedience of a subpoena served against David, meaning she must appear in court and explain why she failed to appear or face contempt of court charges, which could net her a $5,000 fine and up to five days in jail. She and her son will also again be subpoenaed to testify when the next preliminary hearing for the Morehouses is set.