Witkowski Gets 40 More Years

Jay Witkowski was sentenced to 40 years in the Montana State Prison for his role in an attempted escape from the Valley County Detention Center on Feb. 20, 2017. Witkowski pleaded guilty to felony aggravated kidnapping as part of a plea deal arrangement. Witkowski was on trial for murder at the time of his attempted escape involving one other inmate at the jail.

According to Sheriff Vernon Buerkle the two were never free from the jail complex but were in control of a jail employee for 19 minutes during the attempt. Witkowski was sentenced to 80 years after pleading guilty to the December 2016 murder of Evelyn Garcia. The 40 years for kidnapping will run consecutively to his current sentence.

Witkowski will also be liable for restitution to the Sheriff’s Office to the tune of $11,275. The county will be able to claim the right to Witkowski’s money only after the $8,500 has been paid to the father of the victim, and $37,047.75 is paid to Montana Medicaid for restitution from the 2016 murder.