Flathead County, MT

Prosecutors have brought a Martin City man up on multiple felony charges for allegedly lifting a child by his neck and later strangling his girlfriend earlier this month. Michael Thomas McNaught Jr. was briefly held in the Flathead County Detention Center on charges of strangulation and assault on a minor. He was released on his own recognizance on May 24. McNaught was arrested after deputies with the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office responded to several calls reporting a “loud physical disturbance” inside a camper located in Martin City about 11:03 p.m., court documents said. Neighbors described hearing yelling and screaming. Arriving deputies...

MISSOULA, Mont. — The Build Montana program celebrated its first graduating class Thursday as the group of aspiring trade workers walked the stage at Flathead High. The pilot program is a partnership between the community and local contractors to help more young adults find jobs in the construction industry.

A committee attached to the state agency charged with overseeing public safety officer certification ruled Tuesday that the allegations against former Kalispell Police officer and county commission candidate Jason Parce merited further action. Members of the Montana Public Safety Officer Standards and Training Council’s case status committee agreed to issue a letter to Parce after receiving an abbreviated run-down of the accusations against him. He is alleged to have issued discriminatory tickets to out-of-state vehicles and leaked confidential information to the media. Parce has made his lengthy career in law enforcement — most recently as Kalispell Police Department’s K-9 unit...

Flathead County commissioners last week approved a $47,000 settlement with Friends of Lake Five that will pay for the nonprofit neighborhood group’s attorney fees. The settlement, assistant county attorney Tara Fugina told commissioners, was a way to avoid paying the maximum amount in the case. It is not covered under the county’s insurance, Fugina said during the May 17 meeting. Commissioners approved the settlement without discussion. In late March, Flathead County District Court Judge Amy Eddy ruled in favor of Friends of Lake Five, who were challenging the validity of a the county’s issuance of a major land use permit for the Whistlestop...

Just days after a lawsuit was filed against the Forest Service over the allegedly out-of-control camp at the Blankenship Bridge, yet another vehicle, this time a pickup, got stuck in the adjacent stretch of the Flathead River. In June 2021, an old school bus trying to access the camp became stuck. Last weekend, a pickup truck got bogged down. But, according to witnesses, the man may have been messing around when his Ford 350 became marooned in the muck. The pickup, according to cell phone photos provided to the Hungry Horse News following the May 21 incident, had local plates. It wasn’t...

A lawsuit has been filed against Flathead County over the death of a Kalispell man who was struck by a county-owned semi-truck near Creston in November. Brandon Eric Roberts, 45, died after being hit while attempting to secure a load on a trailer after pulling to the side of the road on Dyer Road near the intersection with Montana 35. Allison Sweem, Roberts’ wife, has filed the lawsuit on behalf of his estate in Flathead District Court claiming that the county was negligent in Roberts’ death. The lawsuit claims that Roberts was “severely and fatally injured” when the semi-truck owned by...

LIBBY, Montana (AP) — A 63-year-old man has been arrested following a shooting that left one person dead and a second injured at a Montana campground. Authorities said Garry Douglas Seaman was arrested on Sunday near his Flathead County home, a day after the shooting north of Libby in Lincoln County. Deputies had been called to the Alexander Creek Campground along the Kootenai River at about 2:45 p.m. Saturday when they found the two victims. A man had been killed and a woman who was injured was taken by helicopter to a hospital with multiple gunshot wounds. The victims were not immediately identified. Seaman was being held at the Flathead County jail on an out-of-jurisdiction warrant. He was due to appear in court Monday, according to a jail roster. It was unknown if he had retained an attorney.

How many Flathead homes, of what style, sold from May 1, 2021 through April 30, 2022? Blue columns show the quantity, by style and by city. The printed Beacon has room for one chart, so we have shown the one for the above calendar period. However, the online Beacon will have an animated GIF, showing the same period for the past three years, for comparison and your trend-spotting. The green line shows the median cost per square footage. $300 per foot seems more common this past year. Additionally, Columbia Falls is edging above Bigfork. The gold line shows median days from listing to contract. Which style sells the most by city? Which style sells for the most per city?

A smiling and animated Aaron Martin McGarry reappeared before Judge Robert Allison in Flathead County District Court last week, pleading not guilty to felony strangulation and theft charges. Authorities arrested McGarry, 36, following a May 10 standoff in an apartment complex off of Liberty Street in Kalispell. He is being held in county jail on a $100,000 bond. Prosecutors say McGarry attacked his girlfriend the day before the standoff, placing his arm on her neck during an argument in her vehicle. According to court documents, McGarry, who was driving, applied full force to the victim’s throat. She told authorities that...

FLATHEAD RESERVATION — The Flathead Reservation Water Management Board took action April 29 to adopt a two-part interim process to apply for a new use of groundwater for an individual or shared domestic purpose. Before drilling a well or developing a spring, a water user must receive approval to develop a Domestic Allowance.

MISSOULA, Mont. — Lincoln County Sheriff's Office arrested the suspect accused of killing one man and injuring a woman in the Alexander Creek Campground north of Libby around 2:47 p.m. on Saturday. Lincoln County officials arrested the suspect, Garry Douglas Seaman on Sunday around 10 a.m. near his home...

Hungry Horse News After years of planning, Columbia Falls now has its own history museum. Last week volunteers with the Columbia Falls Historical Society were busy putting in cabinets and displays in the small museum in the Gateway Building at the corner of Highway 2 and Nucleus Avenue. The Society was founded in 2008 to preserve the history of the northeast corner of Flathead County, including Columbia Falls, Hungry Horse, Martin City, West Glacier, Glacier National Park, and the North, Middle and South Forks of the Flathead River. But finding a home for displays has proven challenging. The new owners of the Gateway...

By CHRIS PETERSON Hungry Horse News Just days after a lawsuit was filed against the Forest Service over the camp at the Blankenship Bridge, another vehicle, this time a pickup, was stuck in the river at the camp on the Flathead River Saturday. Last year in June an old school bus trying to access the camp became stuck. In this case, a pickup truck became stuck. But according to witnesses, the man may have simply been messing around when his Ford 350 became marooned in the muck. The rig, according to cell phone photos provided to the Hungry Horse News, had local plates. It wasn’t...

No. 28632 AUTHORIZATION TO PUBLISH REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS (RFQ) FOR FLATHEAD COUNTY ALCOHOL TAX SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER SERVICE PROVIDER The Flathead County Board of Commissioners is requesting Statement of Qualifications from qualified service providers with experience in treatment and/or prevention of substance use disorders (SUD) to provide services to Flathead County, pursuant to the requirements of Section 18-8-201 et seq., M.C.A. The selected service provider(s) will receive Flathead County's annual alcohol tax allocation to fund substance use disorder treatment and/or prevention services in Flathead County, MT. Respondents must be State Approved SUD Treatment and Prevention provider(s). Copies of the...

A bullheaded woman who was reportedly banned from a Hungry Horse business once again returned wanting beer. This time, she was carrying a sledgehammer, which she left outside, possibly for insurance if she didn’t get her way. An employee called Flathead County Sheriff’s Office for advice and their questions were answered. A spiteful man driving a gray truck allegedly rained ill-will on a woman working on her flowerbeds in Somers when he pulled down her driveway — she assumed he was going to the state park — and called her an “old hag,” saying she was “going to die a lonely...

A Flathead County man suspected of fatally shooting a man and injuring a woman at a Libby-area campground on May 21 has been charged with a felony count of deliberate homicide and another felony count of attempted deliberate homicide. Garry Douglas Seaman, 63, made his initial appearance in Lincoln County...

Fact check Several recent pieces of mail have crossed my path regarding school board policy on LBGTQ and Jack Fallon leading the charge. I feel the responsibility to correct the message. Jack was one of 11 board members. There was much debate on this policy. Only after a year long study by a group of parents, students and teachers did the board debate their findings and recommendations, and ultimately pass the policy. I hate distorted facts. I was the chair of the Policy Committee. So if anyone spearheaded this movement it was me. — Mary Ruby, Kalispell Ketchum has high standards Cal Ketchum is running...

Montana’s primary elections are coming up quick, June 7, a bit after Memorial Day. I hope the timing helps us remember those who made it possible. Our right and duty to wisely choose our leaders is a great and shockingly rare gift, paid for with too much blood and suffering.

Friends and family of a Whitefish man arrested during an armed standoff in April worried the man might commit a mass shooting, court documents say. Quinn Garrett Lewis, 43, is being held in the Flathead County Detention Center on a $500,000 bond. He pleaded not guilty to assault with a weapon in district court on May 18. In court documents, prosecutors said they asked for the large sum because of Lewis’ access to cash, past brushes with the law, worsening mental health and a personal arsenal of weapons found in his Armory Road cabin after his arrest. The cache allegedly...

By CHRIS PETERSON Hungry Horse News The Flathead County Commissioners last week approved a $47,000 settlement with Friends of Lake Five that will pay for the nonprofit neighborhood group’s attorney fees. The settlement, assistant county attorney Tara Fugina told commissioners, was a way to avoid paying the maximum amount in the case. It is not covered under the county’s insurance, Fugina told commissioners during their May 17 meeting. Commissioners approved the settlement without discussion. In late March, Flathead County District Court Judge Amy Eddy ruled in favor of Friends of Lake Five, who were challenging the validity of a the county’s issuance of a major land...