A 28-year-old Helena man has been charged with disorderly conduct and discharging a weapon for his alleged role in an armed standoff that forced the evacuation of a campground in Glacier National Park.
Jesiah Richards will make an initial appearance Aug. 12 before a federal judge in U.S. Magistrate Court in West Glacier. Because the incident occurred in a National Park Service unit, Richards faces federal charges.
According to court documents, Richards shot a round from a .44 caliber revolver through the roof of his tent on the evening of July 9 at the Sprague Creek Campground. He then left his campsite and headed for the shores of Lake McDonald where a standoff with National Park Service rangers took place, according to charging documents.
“The campground was filled and people were all around the site,” charging documents state. “(Richards) proceeded with the revolver still loaded with five live rounds and took up a position along the lakeshore of Lake McDonald at the edge of the campground. Not until four armed law enforcement rangers confronted him did he eventually give up the firearm and surrender.”
Carrying a firearm in Glacier Park is legal following a change to the law in 2010. However, firing a weapon in Glacier is illegal.