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Clogged port toilet puts MSU student in hot water
Jared Miller
Staff
Great Falls Tribune
By JARED MILLER Tribune Regional Reporter
PORT OF SWEET GRASS - A college student from Great Falls was arrested
and charged in Toole County Saturday after authorities said he
clogged a toilet at the Port of Sweet Grass on the U.S.-Canada border
north of Shelby.
Jesse Huffman, a 19-year-old Montana State University-Bozeman
student, insists he didn't intentionally stop up the toilet.
In his statement to police, Huffman said he has symptoms of a
condition called Irritable Bowl Syndrome and used "at most" a fifth
of a roll of toilet paper.
A border officer apparently didn't buy the story, and Huffman faces a
misdemeanor criminal mischief charge. If convicted, he could get up
to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.
"I've never been arrested before or anything like that, and I get
arrested for taking a dump," said Huffman, a 2003 Great Falls High
School graduate.
Huffman, the son of Gary and Paula Huffman of Great Falls, was
returning to Montana with four friends after a summer-ending bash in
Lethbridge, Alberta.
Port authorities stopped their car for what was apparently a random
search. The car's 19-year-old driver was cited for possession of
alcohol.
Huffman was waiting for the driver when he asked to use the bathroom.
Although he hasn't been diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome,
Huffman said he suffers from all the symptoms and urgently needed to
use the bathroom because of a digestive upset.
Port officials granted his request and unlocked the bathroom. Huffman
used the toilet but didn't stay to watch it flush.
A short time later, a port inspector discovered the toilet was
clogged and threatened charges, Huffman said.
"I didn't think they were serious at first, I was just laughing so
hard," said Cory Grayson of Great Falls, a friend of Huffman's who
was with him at the time.
The students regained their composure when they realized the
inspector wasn't joking, Grayson said.
"As soon as we found out he was serious, Jesse was very respectful,"
Grayson said.
Huffman, who has hired a lawyer and plans to fight the charge, said
the border officer yelled at him and humiliated him about the clogged
toilet in front of his friends, some of whom were women.
Huffman claims the port inspector also threatened him with a federal
charge and said he could lose his federal college assistance.
"This guy just blew everything way out of proportion," Huffman
said. "I have no idea why he thought I would try to do something like
that on purpose."
Port Director Larry Overcast said Tuesday he could not comment on the
case other than to say inspection employees are expected to be
professional in dealing with the public.
"(Huffman) was dealing with an experienced inspector," Overcast said.
Huffman said he tried to show inspectors that he didn't purposely
clog the toilet and offered to try to fix the problem himself.
Officers told him "they had absolutely no plungers within 40 miles,"
Huffman said in his statement at the Toole County Sheriff's Office.
Huffman's friends asked if they could take pictures of the clogged
toilet but were told they couldn't, Grayson said. Also, Huffman said
his mother called border officials later to find out the name of the
officer who allegedly yelled at him, but they wouldn't tell her.
A Toole County sheriff's deputy drove Huffman the 38 miles to Shelby,
where he was fingerprinted and photographed before officers released
him to his friends.
Federal charges apparently were never filed.
Huffman said the ordeal lasted six hours.
Calls to the Toole County Sheriff's Office were not returned Tuesday.
Calls to the Toole County attorney also were not returned.
The Port of Sweet Grass, on Interstate 15 north of Shelby, is
opposite Alberta's Port of Coutts.
The facility underwent a $24 million reconstruction and expansion
last year and serves about 800,000 travelers a year.
Huffman's initial appearance is Aug. 31 in Toole County Court. That
also is the second day of school at MSU-Bozeman.
Huffman, a sophomore, won three scholarships at Great Falls High
worth $3,000. He also designed the Bison's personalized license plate.
Huffman said he pays for college with is own money, scholarships and
federal loans. A fine of several hundred dollars would be a big hit.
"That would pretty much drain me after I get all my school supplies,"
Huffman said. "And that would not be cool."
Jared Miller
Staff
Great Falls Tribune
By JARED MILLER Tribune Regional Reporter
PORT OF SWEET GRASS - A college student from Great Falls was arrested
and charged in Toole County Saturday after authorities said he
clogged a toilet at the Port of Sweet Grass on the U.S.-Canada border
north of Shelby.
Jesse Huffman, a 19-year-old Montana State University-Bozeman
student, insists he didn't intentionally stop up the toilet.
In his statement to police, Huffman said he has symptoms of a
condition called Irritable Bowl Syndrome and used "at most" a fifth
of a roll of toilet paper.
A border officer apparently didn't buy the story, and Huffman faces a
misdemeanor criminal mischief charge. If convicted, he could get up
to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.
"I've never been arrested before or anything like that, and I get
arrested for taking a dump," said Huffman, a 2003 Great Falls High
School graduate.
Huffman, the son of Gary and Paula Huffman of Great Falls, was
returning to Montana with four friends after a summer-ending bash in
Lethbridge, Alberta.
Port authorities stopped their car for what was apparently a random
search. The car's 19-year-old driver was cited for possession of
alcohol.
Huffman was waiting for the driver when he asked to use the bathroom.
Although he hasn't been diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome,
Huffman said he suffers from all the symptoms and urgently needed to
use the bathroom because of a digestive upset.
Port officials granted his request and unlocked the bathroom. Huffman
used the toilet but didn't stay to watch it flush.
A short time later, a port inspector discovered the toilet was
clogged and threatened charges, Huffman said.
"I didn't think they were serious at first, I was just laughing so
hard," said Cory Grayson of Great Falls, a friend of Huffman's who
was with him at the time.
The students regained their composure when they realized the
inspector wasn't joking, Grayson said.
"As soon as we found out he was serious, Jesse was very respectful,"
Grayson said.
Huffman, who has hired a lawyer and plans to fight the charge, said
the border officer yelled at him and humiliated him about the clogged
toilet in front of his friends, some of whom were women.
Huffman claims the port inspector also threatened him with a federal
charge and said he could lose his federal college assistance.
"This guy just blew everything way out of proportion," Huffman
said. "I have no idea why he thought I would try to do something like
that on purpose."
Port Director Larry Overcast said Tuesday he could not comment on the
case other than to say inspection employees are expected to be
professional in dealing with the public.
"(Huffman) was dealing with an experienced inspector," Overcast said.
Huffman said he tried to show inspectors that he didn't purposely
clog the toilet and offered to try to fix the problem himself.
Officers told him "they had absolutely no plungers within 40 miles,"
Huffman said in his statement at the Toole County Sheriff's Office.
Huffman's friends asked if they could take pictures of the clogged
toilet but were told they couldn't, Grayson said. Also, Huffman said
his mother called border officials later to find out the name of the
officer who allegedly yelled at him, but they wouldn't tell her.
A Toole County sheriff's deputy drove Huffman the 38 miles to Shelby,
where he was fingerprinted and photographed before officers released
him to his friends.
Federal charges apparently were never filed.
Huffman said the ordeal lasted six hours.
Calls to the Toole County Sheriff's Office were not returned Tuesday.
Calls to the Toole County attorney also were not returned.
The Port of Sweet Grass, on Interstate 15 north of Shelby, is
opposite Alberta's Port of Coutts.
The facility underwent a $24 million reconstruction and expansion
last year and serves about 800,000 travelers a year.
Huffman's initial appearance is Aug. 31 in Toole County Court. That
also is the second day of school at MSU-Bozeman.
Huffman, a sophomore, won three scholarships at Great Falls High
worth $3,000. He also designed the Bison's personalized license plate.
Huffman said he pays for college with is own money, scholarships and
federal loans. A fine of several hundred dollars would be a big hit.
"That would pretty much drain me after I get all my school supplies,"
Huffman said. "And that would not be cool."
