A prosecutor says homeowners asked for tens of thousands of dollars by Butte roofer William Lee Dunmire have given up hope of getting their money back.
Dunmire, 50, was sentenced to probation for theft and forgery because victims care about restitution, prosecutor Ann Shea told District Judge Kurt Krueger Thursday.
“We gave him the opportunity to work and pay the compensation,” Shea said. “He told this court that he had a job and was making monthly payments. He didn’t. His behavior during the probationary period was fundamentally defective.
“He didn’t play by the rules. He didn’t think he had to do that,” she said. “He applied to this court for numerous leave of absence on the grounds that he was in a position to pay the refund. The victims in this matter are more concerned with punishment at this point because they don’t see that he’s going to pay the compensation.”
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Krueger followed Shea’s recommendations, revoking previous suspended sentences and sentenced Dunmire to 10 consecutive years in Montana State Penitentiary for theft by fraud and five consecutive years for forgery.
J. Blaine Anderson, Dunmire’s attorney, had sought a 15-year sentence, of which seven years were suspended. He said Dunmire had medical problems but a shorter sentence would allow him to get out of prison earlier, go to work and pay compensation.
Dunmire’s victims in Butte included a bar and restaurant that needed a roof repair and a resident who needed a new roof. Prosecutors said they paid Dunmire tens of thousands of dollars for the work he missed and that he misled them about the amount and type of materials purchased.
In September 2020, Krueger sentenced Dunmire to 10 years for theft by deception and five years for forgery, each consecutive but with probation every 15 years. He also asked Dunmire to pay thousands of dollars in compensation.
Lewis and Clark County judges also sentenced Dunmire in September 2020 to eight years in prison for fraudulent practices, 10 years for theft by deception and five years for forgery, but also suspended them all on probation.
Prosecutors and probation officers in Butte-Silver Bow say Dunmire failed to make recovery payments, still owes $66,775 and violated several additional probation terms. He still faces charges of being released on bail.
Shea noted Thursday that “a 15-year sentence isn’t a 15-year sentence,” and Dunmire gets credit for 479 days he’s already served in prison.
“He will be eligible for parole, including time-served credit, in well under five years, but it will be up to the Department of Corrections to address community non-compliance and redress by this defendant,” she said .
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Mike Smith is a reporter at the Montana Standard specializing in government and politics.
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