Smiling Drifter Gets Personal with the Judge

The Missoulian reports on the strange tale of teh smiling drifter, Brent Arthur Wilson who broke into an foreclosed and padlocked area home, copied information about the residence and then filed a bizarrely-worded deed with county officials claiming the residence as his own.  At his arraignment, Mr. Wilson responded to inquiries by the Judge by calling her honor,  "Deborah."  The following account is from Vince Devlin's story:

"The curious case of Brent Arthur Wilson was continued for a week, but not before he and District Court Judge Kim Christopher sparred briefly Thursday morning at an omnibus hearing.  Wilson, 53, is charged with stealing a Polson-area home in foreclosure, allegedly by breaking in, changing the locks, and filing documents with the Lake County Clerk and Recorder's Office filled with unusual language, including descriptions that explain the property is located on 'the third planet from the sun,' and that Wilson had obtained ownership through 'a valuable consideration paid by the trustee to the creator, Yahweh.'

It was quickly established at the omnibus hearing that a court-ordered mental health evaluation for Wilson that was requested by prosecutors during Wilson's arraignment has not yet taken place. But when Christopher asked Wilson if he had anything to say, the drifter, who is representing himself, asked if a trustee had been established in his case. In doing so, the first word out of his mouth was 'Deborah' - the given first name of the judge, who goes by her middle name.

'You and I don't have a personal relationship,' Christopher told him. 'You will either address me as 'the court' or 'Your Honor.'"
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The balance of Mr. Wilson's courtroom remarks, made about as much sense as the deed he filed claiming to own the property he had moved into.  Something about this smiling man puts me in mind of the characters that populate the old Frank Capra movies.  I hope he gets the help he apparently needs.  Sometimes the eccentric, are just that, harmless and eccentric.  Unfortunately, too often they turn out to be dangerous predators.