A young Sheridan man who got into a bar scuffle with a senior citizen last summer and then threatened to kill a responding officer’s K-9 has been ordered to serve two months in jail.

James O. Malles, 26, received the 60-day sentence for misdemeanor counts of battery and criminal trespassing.

“... I do want to express a sincere apology for my actions,” Malles said at a Tuesday appearance in Park County Circuit Court. “There’s no justification for it, really. There’s just not.”

The alcohol-fueled altercation occurred at The Peaks on the night of July 19. When Officer Kevin Bennett arrived on scene, he said a man and an older woman were holding Malles down. They relayed that Malles had come into the bar highly drunk, and became hostile when a bartender told him to leave.

The 74-year-old woman said she’d tried to escort Malles out, but then was hit in the face and they went to the ground, charging documents say.

The woman’s glasses were broken in the melee and she told the court Tuesday that her eye now waters constantly. The victim also said she no longer trusts strangers or young people and gets nervous in public places.

“His assault is still affecting me on a daily basis,” the woman said.

K-9 threatened

Although it didn’t result in additional charges, Malles was reported to have also been belligerent towards Bennett, hurling multiple expletives and insults at his arresting officer.

“... even though I did not speak with James [Malles,] he continued throughout the entire drive to Cody to cuss, as well as threaten to kill my narcotics detection K-9,” Bennett wrote in an affidavit.

Malles killed a dog in Sheridan in March 2019 and received a felony conviction for aggravated cruelty to animals, court records show.

Charging documents said that incident began with an argument between Malles and his then-girlfriend. He reportedly punched her in the face and, after she left the residence, used a kitchen knife to kill her Alaskan Malamute while it was inside its crate.

Malles offered his “utmost remorse” at sentencing and served roughly nine months in the state’s boot camp program for youthful offenders. He completed his probation in early 2022.

Grieving a family member

As for what led to July’s incident at the Peaks, Malles said that he’d begun drinking heavily after the death of a sibling in late 2023. A breath sample taken after his arrest reportedly put Malles’ blood alcohol at 0.314% — roughly four times the point at which a person is considered too drunk to drive.

“I ran to the wrong things, and that was a bad idea,” Malles said. “I didn’t know that it would result in hurting another human being or putting their life in less of a spot that was desirable.”

Both Circuit Court Judge Joey Darrah and Deputy Park County Prosecuting Attorney Laura Newton said they believed Malles was genuinely sorry.

However, Darrah cautioned the defendant that, “We’re all sort of victims of circumstance. We can’t take it out on other people.”

Another charge

Malles indicated he’d been succeeding in Sheridan — getting engaged, landing a well-paying job and moving into an apartment. Court records also say he got arrested there in early November in connection with an alleged altercation with his aunt.

The relative reportedly told police that Malles got drunk and began acting strangely, then grabbed her hand and threw her onto some stairs when she tried to get him to leave.

For his part, Malles reportedly told police that it never got physical and that he’d just been trying to get out the door; he mentioned that “he had quit abusing women physically,” Sheridan Police Cpl. Chase Philipp wrote in affidavit.

Police decided to take Malles into custody and he became “agitated and belligerent,” allegedly kicking Philipp in the legs.

Malles is awaiting trial on misdemeanor counts of unlawful contact and interference with a peace officer.

Placed on probation

In the Powell case, meanwhile, Malles opted to plead guilty.

Following the prosecution’s recommendation, Judge Darrah imposed the 60-day jail sentence and a year of unsupervised probation on Tuesday. During that time, Malles will have to stay away from alcohol, all bars — including The Peaks — and the 74-year-old woman, among other conditions. He was also ordered to pay the woman $932 to cover an eye exam and new eyeglass, which is on top of $920 in court fines and fees.

The woman — who is herself awaiting trial on an unrelated felony theft charge in her home of Ravalli County, Montana — had asked the court to impose the maximum allowable punishment on Malles. However, she also made a point of thanking him for the apology later in the hearing.

Darrah expressed hope that the case would be “just a bump in the road” for Malles, telling the defendant that, “I think you have a bright future if you use good judgment.”

He had roughly 47 days left to serve in jail as of Tuesday’s sentencing.