Flathead County detectives made three arrests Thursday in connection with the burglary of the Whitefish Mini-Mart and five Kalispell-area coffee kiosks last month.
Curtis Bower, 20, was arrested for an existing warrant out of Kalispell and also charged with the burglary and misdemeanor possession of marijuana and a concealed weapon.
Timothy Beck, 19, was arrested in Idaho Falls when an Idaho State Trooper stopped to assist Beck when his vehicle had broken down on the highway. He was taken into custody and remains in Idaho until extradition.
A third male was also arrested in Kalispell and taken to juvenile detention. His name is being withheld because he’s a minor.
On Dec. 29, thieves broke the windows at five java shops. Damage for broken windows at Outback Java Shak on U.S. 93 was estimated at $300, but nothing else was taken from the kiosk. Cowgirl Coffee on U.S. 2 and Birch Grove Road lost a small CD player. Camp Coffee on Montana 206 lost $100; Full of Beans on West Reserve Drive lost $75; and $50 was stolen from Sunshine Espresso on Woodland Park Drive.
The three may also be connected with a rash of vehicle burglaries this winter. Several items connected with vehicle break-ins were recovered, and detectives are in the process of returning the stolen items to their owners. From Sept. 1 to Nov. 30, there were 117 thefts from Kalispell area vehicles – many of them unlocked.