Idaho

Bertollini pleads not guilty to DUI
Arraignment on resisting arrest charge again delayed

Susan Drumheller
Staff writer

SANDPOINT -- Vincent Bertollini pleaded "not guilty and innocent to all charges" Tuesday during an arraignment in magistrate court.

Bertollini was arrested Jan. 12 on charges of driving while intoxicated. He faces a preliminary hearing on the DUI charge March 21.

Because of two DUI convictions in 1998, Bertollini faces a maximum of five years in prison and a $5,000 fine if he is convicted for the latest DUI.

Bertollini, the co-founder of the 11th Hour Remnant Messenger, a ministry preaching white separatism, has accused police of battering him during the arrest in his garage.

According to police, however, Bertollini failed to cooperate with the arresting officer and slipped on the floor while the officer tried to restrain Bertollini by holding his wrist behind his back.

Bertollini suffered a cut on his forehead, but he refused treatment at the hospital.

Bertollini's arraignment on the resisting arrest charge was postponed earlier this month because he has been unable to retain an attorney.

On Tuesday, he was again without an attorney.

"I can't find an attorney in Idaho who can handle my case without prejudice," Bertollini told Magistrate Judge Debra Heise.

Bertollini asked that his case be dismissed for lack of evidence and because officers entered his home without a warrant.

Heise declined to consider the motion.

Bertollini also asked that the matters be heard in a courtroom outside North Idaho because of his notoriety in the area. Heise informed Bertollini that he needed to file a written motion.

Bertollini also has tried to have his bond exonerated and his driver's license returned. But he asked in written requests to Judge Heise, not in legal motions as the judge advised him.

In the letters, he complained that the court is operating under the presumption that he's guilty; "It is not proper that I file a motion on a basic right that has been denied."

Heise declined to release the bond or return his license. As in other DUI cases, Bertollini's license was suspended automatically when he refused to submit to blood-alcohol testing.

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