A Kalispell man arrested following a standoff on Jan. 24 has been charged with aggravated burglary, criminal endangerment and assault with a weapon.
Cody Scott Lindahl, 22, was formally charged on Jan. 30 and is expected to appear in court for an arraignment on Feb. 14. He is currently being held on $150,000 bail. If convicted, Lindahl could face up to 70 years in prison and $150,000 in fines.
According to court records, law enforcement received a report of a man walking through a residential area near Valley Drive with a shotgun on the evening of Jan. 24. When law enforcement arrived, they heard a gunshot nearby. Two Flathead County Sheriff’s Office deputies met the homeowner who made the initial report. The homeowner told the deputies that he wanted to check the shop near his house. The three men went toward the shop and when they opened the door they saw a man sitting in a loft area of the shop. The homeowner asked him what he was doing in the building.
According to law enforcement, the man fired his gun twice, once in the direction of the homeowner and two deputies. All three men took cover. One of the deputies made verbal contact with the man, later identified as Lindahl. Lindahl asked for a cigarette and to speak with his mother but refused to leave the building. A SWAT team was requested and negotiations went on for about 90 minutes.
Lindahl eventually exited the building and tried to run. Law enforcement then shot him with “sponge rounds” to disable and detain him. Lindahl was taken into custody.
During the course of the investigation, Lindahl said when he fired the gun in the direction of the sheriff’s deputies that he was trying to hit the breaker box next to the door to disable the lights in the building. A search of the shop revealed a 12-gauge shotgun.
Lindahl was previously charged with burglary following another incident in January.