BILLINGS, Mont.—Carbon County Attorney Robert Eddleman says he has taken a leave of absence as he fights federal charges that he used and distributed cocaine at parties he hosted over the last four years.
At a Tuesday arraignment in Billings before U.S. Magistrate Carolyn Ostby, Eddleman pleaded not guilty to four counts, including cocaine distribution and maintaining drug-involved premises at his houses in Billings and Red Lodge.
Also pleading not guilty to an identical set of charges was Terri Jabs Kurth, daughter of Jake Jabs, chief executive of the Denver-based American Furniture Warehouse.
Eddleman, 50, was named Carbon County attorney in June, 2006. He said he requested the leave from county commissioners out of respect for the county’s law enforcement personnel.
“These are very serious charges. I deny them vehemently,” he said Tuesday in a brief statement to reporters.
After his arraignment, Eddleman declined to expand on his prior statement that “there is more to this story.” His attorney, Brian Fay, said further details will come out as the legal process moves forward.
Kurth, 43, declined comment as she exited the courthouse ahead of Eddleman. Court documents indicate she lives with Eddleman at the homes where the parties took place.
The case was assigned Tuesday to U.S. District Judge Richard Cebull.
According to federal prosecutors, Eddleman and Kurth bought cocaine from a dealer identified in court documents only by his initials—D.B. The pair then hosted parties at both the Billings and Red Lodge houses between Jan. 1, 2004 and Sept. 9, 2008 in which they and their guests used cocaine, prosecutors say.
Last week, 39-year-old Domingo Baez of Billings pleaded not guilty to multiple cocaine possession and distribution charges. Baez’s court-appointed defender said the case was related to the Eddleman-Kurth indictment.
Three of the charges faced by Eddleman and Kurth carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $500,000 fine. The fourth charge, knowingly distributing cocaine, carries a maximum of 20 years and a $1 million fine.
Carbon County Commissioner John Prinkki said Eddleman’s leave would go into effect sometime in the next several weeks. He will not be prosecuting cases in the interim. Those duties will be assumed by Deputy County Attorney Alex Nixon.
Prinkki said Eddleman had initially offered to resign with an effective date somewhere around the beginning of next year.
“We wanted it to be immediate, and he wanted to be able to get the other legal staff up to speed until he turned it over,” Prinkki said. “It’s really not a matter of whether we’re satisfied. It’s a matter of what options we have, and that’s what he’s able to provide.”
Eddleman also was under pressure to resign from Montana Attorney General Mike McGrath, who said a prosecutor under indictment could not function as county attorney.
A McGrath spokeswoman, Judy Beck, said the leave of absence satisfies that immediate problem. Personnel from the state Prosecution Services Bureau will step in to help fill the gap in handling new and ongoing cases, she said.
“We will be meeting with the deputy county attorney and helping decide what kind of support is needed on a case-by-case basis,” Beck said.
Prinkki said attorneys from Yellowstone and Sweetwater counties also could be called on to help.
