Man Who Drove Through Grocery Store Given 10-Year Prison Term

The man who drove his car up and down the aisles of a Columbia Falls grocery store while under the influence of methamphetamine has been sentenced to 10 years in the Montana State Prison.

Alan Roger Connor Jr. appeared in front of Judge Robert Allison in Flathead County District Court on Thursday, nearly three months after pleading guilty to criminal mischief and criminal endangerment, both felonies, as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors. The deal included differing sentencing recommendations from the attorneys on the case, both of whom made arguments Thursday.

In the end, Allison accepted the recommendation from Deputy Flathead County Attorney Alison Howard, opting for a stiffer punishment and rejecting the defense claim that the community would be better served to have Connor undergo intensive treatment for his drug addiction and have five years of a 10-year sentence suspended. Connor was also ordered to pay $76,460.18 in restitution to Super 1 Foods to cover the extensive damage caused by the incident, something Connor’s court-appointed attorney, William Managhan, argued Connor would only be able to pay if out of prison.

Managhan also pressed Allison to consider that Connor is a non-violent offender under Montana law, and that his criminal history is connected entirely to his addiction, which Managhan said Connor has begun to address while in custody.

“This was a very scary offense but it wasn’t a violent offense,” Managhan argued. “We shouldn’t send him to prison … simply because it’s a sensational crime.”

No one was injured on the night of Nov. 12 despite the fact that several customers and staff were inside the grocery store when Connor smashed his Chevrolet Lumina through the glass front doors, then drove around the building before exiting and driving away from the scene. Connor later said he had ingested a “large quantity of methamphetamine” in the days leading up to the incident, that he was suffering hallucinations and that he drove into the store to buy his girlfriend cigarettes. Connor, 50, was arrested later on Nov. 12 while running naked in the snow after streaking through a nearby retirement home.

In her argument to the court, Howard said that while no one was hurt, injuries were only avoided “by the grace of God” and that Connor’s actions caused a panic inside the store.

Judge Allison sided with Howard and cited Connor’s past criminal history as part of his rationale. Connor had several felony convictions in the early 1990s before being arrested for burglary in December 2019 in Yellowstone County. He was sentenced in that case in late October, and it was just 23 days later that he drove through the Super 1 Foods.

Connor, for his part, apologized for his actions before his sentence was imposed.

“I apologize to the court and the people in the community,” he said. “I’m deeply sorry and I deeply regret what happened that night.”

Allison sentenced Connor to 10 years on each count, to run concurrently. Connor could also face prison time for violating his probation in Yellowstone County.