by William Skink

It’s been nearly two months since the Missoula County Attorney’s Office received the case of the alleged assault by UM football players. Back on May 24th, County Attorney Jason Marks said it would only be a few weeks before the decision on whether or not to file felony charges would be made.

The investigation into a reported assault in downtown Missoula that allegedly involved members of the University of Montana Grizzlies football team has been sent to the Missoula County Attorney’s Office for a decision on whether to file felony charges.

Chief Deputy County Attorney Jason Marks said Thursday he expects to make a decision on whether to file charges in the “next couple of weeks.”

Why has there been no decision in nearly two months? How long does it take to investigate an assault? Something stinks and it’s a stink I’ve smelled before.

The University of Montana is still struggling mightily to right its ship amidst years of declining enrollment. One big reasons UM is in the situation it’s in is because UM’s football program has been plagued by acts of violence, including sexual assault.

It’s very discouraging to see the County Attorney’s office drag its feet in deciding to file felony charges or not.

Has Missoula learned nothing from the recent past?