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Glacier County appoints Attorney General's Office to prosecute murder case
Summary
The commission voted to appoint the Montana Attorney General's Office as special deputy county attorneys to prosecute State v. Alford Joseph Smith; the AG will not charge attorney fees, though the county will cover witness and related expenses. Joe Sherwood will remain as co-counsel.
The Glacier County Commission on Feb. 24 approved a resolution appointing the Montana Attorney General's Office as special deputy county attorneys to prosecute State v. Alford Joseph Smith, a pending murder case.
Carol (Speaker 1), speaking by phone and identified as the county attorney, described the request to the commission: "The attorney general's office ... would be willing to prosecute this case. There'll be no fees charged for their services." She said her office has handled negligent-homicide cases but not a homicide of this nature and that the AG's office has more resources to manage extensive forensic work. Carol added that "Joe Sherwood's gonna remain as co-counsel in the case," and that the county will be responsible for witness fees and similar expenses.
Commissioners asked whether the AG had requested a change of venue; Carol said they had not and that a defense request was possible but had not been filed. The commission approved Resolution 2026-6 by voice vote.
Why it matters: The appointment moves prosecution of a serious felony case to the state attorney general's office because of resource needs, while keeping local co-counsel engaged. The county's financial exposure is limited to ancillary costs such as witness fees, rather than attorney compensation.
Next steps: The county attorney's office and the AG's office will coordinate on evidence transfer and case management; no schedule for trial or further hearings was discussed at the meeting.
