by John Dowd
A Stevensville woman is facing felony charges after a 16-year-old boy was allegedly severely beaten during a party. Jessica Kalie McKay is being charged with aggravated assault by accountability and criminal endangerment in Ravalli County Justice Court.
According to an affidavit of probable cause filed Sept. 15, the assault occurred during a party on the night of Sept. 12. The affidavit states the victim was dropped off at his residence at about 5:30 a.m. the following morning by McKay. She is reportedly the owner of the house where the party was held and someone the victim’s mother did not know.
The victim was covered in blood, had significant swelling to his face and a black eye. He was also reportedly intoxicated and told a deputy he did not know what had happened. He was taken by ambulance to the emergency room. According to the victim’s mother, her son suffered a collapsed lung, injuries to his face and jaw, and a broken tooth.
A local woman later called to report that her daughter was in possession of several videos of the assault. A Ravalli County Sheriff’s Office (RCSO) deputy was shown these, and according to the affidavit, the videos depicted the victim being repeatedly punched and kicked, thrown to the ground and strangled from behind multiple times. At one point, he was kicked in the torso hard enough that his head struck a tree.
The affidavit states several youths, responsible for the assault, were seen holding alcoholic beverages during the assault. Deputies identified them in the videos, through prior law enforcement contacts and interviews. One youth reportedly told investigators that the group had been at a party at his house and became angry after a rumor circulated that the victim had assaulted a girl.
The youth told investigators that the group had all been punching and beating the victim. He also described a “punch line,” in which youths stood in a line and took turns punching the victim.
The assault reportedly lasted approximately three hours.
According to the youth involved in the assault, the victim showed up to the party uninvited and was the one who started the fight.
According to the affidavit, another witness told investigators she had been inside the house for most of the fighting. She later acknowledged seeing the victim covered in blood and appearing badly injured.
The affidavit states that McKay drove the victim to his home and left him in the driveway without notifying his mother, calling law enforcement or taking him to an emergency room.
Investigators determined through their review of the video footage that McKay had been outside and witnessed most of the assaults, according to the affidavit.
The extent of the victim’s injuries was unknown as of Sept. 15, according to the charging document. The victim also had a known history of a brain injury.
McKay is accused of aiding or facilitating the aggravated assault and of knowingly engaging in conduct that created a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury to another person.
McKay was arrested Thursday, Sept. 17, and charged with Criminal Endangerment. She appeared in Ravalli County Justice Court Friday, Sept. 18, and was released after posting a $25,000 bond. The two 17-year-olds reportedly involved in the incident have been charged as adults. Two other juveniles, a 13-year-old and a 14-year-old, face juvenile charges.
The RCSO released a comment, saying, “The family [of the victim] and RCSO are very concerned about the negative and violent rhetoric being posted and commented on,” RCSO said. “The family’s wishes are to ‘not fight violence with violence’ and do not want ‘justice in the wrong form or wrong way.’ The victim and his family want to move forward with healing and forgiveness, and hope that somehow this incident will unite the community and help make sure something like this does not occur again.”
The investigation into the incident is ongoing. Anyone with additional information is asked to contact the RCSO at (406) 363-3033.
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