A Columbia Falls man was arrested after a four-hour standoff on Wednesday afternoon and has been charged with stealing two motor vehicles, according to the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office.
Shortly after 1 p.m. on July 30, the authorities received a report from a Columbia Falls resident of a suspicious male, later identified as Mitchel Lewis Anderson, hanging out at the caller’s neighbor’s cabin along Jellison Road. Two deputies arrived at the cabin and found two vehicles that had been reportedly stolen in the Columbia Falls area within the last week.
After deputies tried unsuccessfully to get the man to open the door, they contacted the cabin’s owner, who provided a key. When the deputies entered the home, Anderson allegedly yelled that he had a gun. A perimeter was established around the building and the Flathead County SWAT team and negotiators arrived on scene. Negotiations lasted for more than four hours until the man was taken into custody without incident. A search of the cabin revealed no weapon inside.
Anderson has been charged with two counts of felony theft and burglary.