A Columbia Falls man who allegedly shot a 41-year-old man in the back in mid-March pleaded not guilty Thursday to a felony count of assault with a weapon.
Zackary Matthew Maas, 25, entered the plea during a March 31 arraignment in Flathead County District Court before Judge Robert B. Allison.
According to charging documents, law enforcement arrived at a Kalispell residence on First Avenue West at 4:30 a.m. on March 13 following a report of a shooting. Kalispell police officers found a man lying face down at the top of a stairwell with a bullet wound in his back.
The victim explained that, prior to the shooting, Maas and another person entered his home and confronted him. When he opened the door for them to leave, Maas shot him in the back and fled the scene, according to court documents.
The victim was transported to Logan Health for medical treatment.
On March 14, officers arrested Maas during a traffic stop in south Kalispell where he admitted to the shooting, charging records state.
Maas was released from Flathead County Detention Center on March 18 after posting a $100,000 bond and he is required to wear a drug-monitoring patch, according to the conditions of release.
Maas is expected to go to trial on July 11. He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in the Montana State Prison and a maximum $50,000 fine.