A 27-year-old Kalispell man who unsuccessfully tried to escape from the Flathead County Detention Center just a week after successfully bolting out of the Mineral County Jail is now headed to the Montana State Prison.
Zachary James Bergman was sentenced to 20 years in prison with 10 years suspended during a hearing in Flathead County District Court on March 23. The hearing came more than a month after he pleaded guilty to felony attempted escape. A second felony charge of criminal mischief stemming from his failed October 2016 escape was dismissed.
According to court documents, Bergman was found in the ceiling of his cell on Oct. 6. Jail officials determined Bergman had used a toothbrush, an eating utensil and a cup to make a hole in the ceiling. He was unable to go any further due to a security feature. Jail officials also found a letter in his cell apparently written before his failed attempt that stated, “They said nobody could get out of Alcatraz too but they did.”
The failed escape came after he was arrested near downtown Kalispell after escaping the Mineral County jail where he was arrested for allegedly stealing an automobile. In December, Bergman pleaded not guilty to charges of felony attempted escape and criminal mischief.
Bergman has a long criminal record that includes criminal endangerment, theft and DUI convictions in 2009 and 2013.