Latest news with #FlatheadCountySheriff'sOffice
Yahoo
7 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Suspected drug dealers allegedly arrested with more than 47 grams of meth
Jun. 3—A traffic violation in the Flathead Valley in March led to the arrest of a pair of suspected drug dealers and the seizure of more than 47 grams of methamphetamine, prosecutors say. Charles John Arthur Cislo, 36, faces felony counts of possession of dangerous drugs with intent to distribute and possession of drug paraphernalia in Flathead County District Court following his March 21 arrest. Held in the county jail with bail set at $60,000, Cislo is scheduled to appear before Judge Dan Wilson on June 12 for his arraignment. Tanita Jo Anderson, 33, faces felony charges of criminal possession of dangerous drugs and possession of drug paraphernalia, according to court records. Currently held on $135,000 bail, Anderson is expected to appear before Judge Danni Coffman on June 5 for arraignment. Flathead County Sheriff's Office deputies pulled over Anderson's vehicle after it allegedly stayed in the left-hand lane of U.S. 2 for four-and-a-half miles as it headed south from the intersection with Montana 40 just after 1 a.m. During the subsequent traffic stop, the deputy identified the driver as Anderson and the passenger as Cislo, court documents said. Anderson allegedly was driving with a suspended license, and Cislo had a warrant out for his arrest. As he placed Cislo under arrest, the deputy received permission from Anderson to search the vehicle, court documents said. Investigators later turned up a black case containing a bag filled with large rocks of a white crystalline substance that authorities suspected was methamphetamine, court documents. The black case, which also allegedly contained a cache of small plastic bags, was found on the floor where Cislo was sitting at the time of the traffic stop. Other items found during the search included a plastic bottle with two pipes extending outward, a makeup mirror with white powder on it, and a gray zipper bag with additional drug paraphernalia, court documents said. During a subsequent interview with deputies, Anderson allegedly admitted knowing that the black case contained methamphetamine and that it belonged to Cislo. The white powder on the mirror was methamphetamine as well, she said, and she told investigators that the pair used it to take the drug earlier the night of the stop, according to court documents. She indicated that a search of the gray zipper bag would uncover the psychedelic drug dimethyltryptamine, better known as DMT, according to court documents. As part of the investigation, deputies contacted the Northwest Montana Drug Task Force. Both Anderson and Cislo were known to the group and were suspected of dealing drugs, particularly methamphetamine and fentanyl, court documents said. After reviewing the deputies' findings, agents with the task force concluded that the methamphetamine in the vehicle was intended for sale rather than personal use, according to court documents. Cislo is facing a felony drug possession charge in a separate ongoing case and has a prior drug possession conviction from a case that was brought against him in 2017. News Editor Derrick Perkins can be reached at 758-4430 or dperkins@
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Yahoo
Suspect allegedly took a shot at slowing down neighbor on dirt bike
May 16—Aiming to encourage a man riding a dirt bike to slow down earlier this month, a Kalispell man allegedly fired off a couple of rounds from a .44 Magnum revolver in front of him. Prosecutors charged David Leon Wagar, 62, with one count of felony criminal endangerment in Flathead County District Court following the alleged May 7 shooting on Piney Dell Trail. The man atop the dirt bike told Flathead County Sheriff's Office deputies he was riding from Piney Dell Trail to Market Road and back again when he spotted Wagar aiming a firearm at the road in front of him about 9:53 p.m., according to court documents. Wagar, on his porch at the time, allegedly fired twice and then threatened the victim. Wagar allegedly later told investigators that he "put a couple of slugs in the hillside just to say, 'Hey man, slow down." He described the victim as riding recklessly and kicking up dirt from the road, according to court documents. Wagar let investigators collect the firearm, a steel gray Smith and Wesson .44 Magnum, court documents said. Deputies alleged Wagar talked with slurred speech and smelled of an alcoholic beverage. They also noted that there were several homes near Wagar's house, two of which were about 100 yards away. Criminal endangerment is punishable by up to 10 years in Montana State Prison and a fine of $50,000.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Yahoo
Whitefish man involved in two felony cases sees one dismissed
May 8—A Whitefish man charged with multiple felonies in 2023 and 2024 received a suspended jail sentence in one case while a judge dismissed a second. Douglas Trent Zellers, 29, picked up a burglary charge after allegedly beating down the door of a Kalispell apartment and attacking a man inside on Aug. 20, 2023. He pleaded not guilty before Judge Danni Coffman at his arraignment on Sept. 7 of that same year. Witnesses told investigators with the Kalispell Police Department that Zellers had publicized his plans to attack the victim prior to the Sixth Avenue West home invasion, according to court documents. After getting past the door, Zellers allegedly grabbed the victim and tossed him outside before punching and strangling him. Investigators described the door to the apartment as badly damaged in court documents. The victim suffered from abrasions on his limbs and sported red marks around his neck, according to court documents. In May 2024, prosecutors amended the charge to misdemeanor assault, of which Zellers was convicted. Coffman sentenced Zellers to six months in the county jail with all, but 11 days suspended. She gave him credit for 11 days of time served and ordered him to pay $200 in restitution to the Flathead County Attorney's Office. As that case wound through the courthouse, prosecutors brought Zellers up on two counts of felony assault on a peace officer following a New Year's Day incident near Kalispell. Flathead County Sheriff's Office deputies arrested Zellers while responding to a disturbance call at a home near Kalispell in the early morning hours of Jan. 1, 2024. Zellers allegedly became combative as deputies attempted to put him into a patrol car. He headbutted one deputy and kicked another, court documents said. Zellers pleaded not guilty to the charges on Jan. 11, 2024. In March of that year, his attorneys sought to see the case dismissed, accusing the Sheriff's Office of illegally entering his home without a warrant to arrest him. Judge Amy Eddy, who presided over the case, agreed and granted the motion the following month. News Editor Derrick Perkins can be reached at 758-4430 or dperkins@
Yahoo
04-05-2025
- Yahoo
Suspect in assault case given suspended jail sentences
May 4—A Whitefish man accused of leveling a rifle at a worker at a Blanchard Lake Drive job site in 2023 received a pair of suspended jail sentences last fall. Charles James How, 37, initially pleaded not guilty to a felony count of assault with a weapon in Flathead County District Court following the Dec. 4, 2023, confrontation. In October 2024, though, he struck a deal with prosecutors that saw him plead guilty to misdemeanor counts of assault and obstructing a peace officer. As part of the deal, prosecutors agreed to recommend How serve two suspended six-month jail sentences. Judge Heidi Ulbricht, who oversaw the case, handed down the pair of suspended sentences on Oct. 2, 2024. The two sentences were to run consecutively. Ulbricht also gave him credit for three days of time served for each sentence and ordered him to pay a combined $360 in court fines and fees. How allegedly exited a home neighboring the job site in December 2023 and began yelling at a worker while stripping off his clothes, court documents said. After making an obscene gesture at the worker and hopping into a Toyota FJ Cruiser, How allegedly stuck a rifle out of the driver's side window. He drove off shortly thereafter, according to court documents. Responding Flathead County Sheriff's Office deputies were developing a plan of action down the street from where the incident occurred when they spotted a matching vehicle come to a stop nearby. A shirtless man allegedly popped out of the vehicle and fled on foot, court documents said. Investigators found a large knife and a rifle in the front passenger area of the freshly abandoned vehicle, according to court documents. How later allegedly told investigators that he began stripping down when he spotted a man looking at him. Though he admitted to hefting the rifle, he said he never aimed it at another person, according to court documents. He acknowledged that the rifle was loaded, court documents said. News Editor Derrick Perkins can be reached at 758-4430 or dperkins@
Yahoo
04-05-2025
- Yahoo
Suspect in assault case given suspended jail sentences
May 4—A Whitefish man accused of leveling a rifle at a worker at a Blanchard Lake Drive job site in 2023 received a pair of suspended jail sentences last fall. Charles James How, 37, initially pleaded not guilty to a felony count of assault with a weapon in Flathead County District Court following the Dec. 4, 2023, confrontation. In October 2024, though, he struck a deal with prosecutors that saw him plead guilty to misdemeanor counts of assault and obstructing a peace officer. As part of the deal, prosecutors agreed to recommend How serve two suspended six-month jail sentences. Judge Heidi Ulbricht, who oversaw the case, handed down the pair of suspended sentences on Oct. 2, 2024. The two sentences were to run consecutively. Ulbricht also gave him credit for three days of time served for each sentence and ordered him to pay a combined $360 in court fines and fees. How allegedly exited a home neighboring the job site in December 2023 and began yelling at a worker while stripping off his clothes, court documents said. After making an obscene gesture at the worker and hopping into a Toyota FJ Cruiser, How allegedly stuck a rifle out of the driver's side window. He drove off shortly thereafter, according to court documents. Responding Flathead County Sheriff's Office deputies were developing a plan of action down the street from where the incident occurred when they spotted a matching vehicle come to a stop nearby. A shirtless man allegedly popped out of the vehicle and fled on foot, court documents said. Investigators found a large knife and a rifle in the front passenger area of the freshly abandoned vehicle, according to court documents. How later allegedly told investigators that he began stripping down when he spotted a man looking at him. Though he admitted to hefting the rifle, he said he never aimed it at another person, according to court documents. He acknowledged that the rifle was loaded, court documents said. News Editor Derrick Perkins can be reached at 758-4430 or dperkins@
