Page 6 - Flathead Beacon // 4.8.15

6 | APRIL 8, 2015 NEWS FLATHEADBEACON.COM Kalispell Health Clinic Vandal Pleads Guilty
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Zachary Klundt appeared in Flathead County District Court more than a year after he broke into and vandalized All Families Healthcare in Kalispell
By JUSTIN FRANZ of the Beacon
A Columbia Falls man says he was in- toxicated and looking for drugs when he broke into and vandalized a Kalispell health clinic last March.
Zachary Klundt, 25, made the admis- sion on April 2 during a change of plea hearing in Flathead County District Court. Klundt pleaded guilty to charges of bur- glary, criminal mischief and theft, all felo- nies, stemming from a March 2014 break- in at All Families Healthcare in Kalispell.
Three other charges related to break- ins at Glacier Log Mill and Lazarus Log Homes in Columbia Falls were dropped as part of the plea agreement.
The Kalispell break-in made head- lines across the state because the clinic was the only health care facility in North- west Montana that provided abortions, a fact that many in the community believed motivated Klundt to target the clinic. But during the change of plea hearing, Klun- dt’s defense attorney Peter Leander said it was fueled by an effort to find drugs.
Leander said Klundt was being treated for anxiety and depression, but in the days before the March 3 break-in he stopped taking his medications and began to drink heavily.
During his change of plea hearing, Klundt read a prepared statement from the stand in which he apologized to the victims of the crimes, specifically All Families Healthcare’s owner, Susan Ca- hill. During the statement he said that al- though he is against abortion, that did not come into play during the break-in.
“I harmed and hurt many people by what I did last March, but no one was hurt more by my actions than Susan Cahill,” Klundt said. “It is true that I am pro-life...
Zachary Klundt appears in Flathead County District Court. JUSTIN FRANZ | FLATHEAD BEACON
(But) what I did to you Susan does not re- flect my values.”
Following the hearing, Cahill said she was happy Klundt had apologized and hoped that it would help the community heal.
“He destroyed my livelihood and my future and he needs to pay restitution for that,” she said. “But I’m glad he apologized because I think this will put all of us on the path to healing.”
Klundt will be back in court on June 11 for sentencing. According to court docu- ments, prosecutors will recommend Klun- dt be sent to Montana State Prison for 20 years, with 15 years suspended, for bur- glary. They also recommend he receive two 10-year suspended sentences for theft and criminal mischief to run concurrent- ly.
The defense will recommend that min- imum fines and fees be imposed so that Klundt can better pay restitution.
According to charging documents, Klundt broke into All Families Health- care in downtown Kalispell on the night of March 3, 2014 and vandalized the facility, damaging furniture, medical instruments and supplies, as well as filing cabinets. Ad- ditionally, officers found a yellow powder, later determined to be from a fire extin-
guisher, covering “almost everything.” Further investigation into the basement of the First Avenue East building revealed damage to the main sewer line, the fur- nace and the water heater. Officers also found damage on the outside door leading to the basement, consistent with someone trying to break in from the outside.
Klundt was arrested on the evening of March 4 after allegedly attempting to break into Bob’s Bail Bonds on South Main Street in Kalispell.
When the officer approached Klundt, the officer noticed the butt of a handgun in Klundt’s jacket. The officer removed the gun, which he said was loaded with a full magazine and a spare magazine in the hol- ster.
Officers reported observing cuts on Klundt’s hands and finding glass shards in his pocket, and about $915, believed to be stolen from the clinic, in another pocket. They also allegedly matched Klundt’s shoe tread pattern to that of the impression found at the clinic.
A search of Klundt’s residence turned up several boxes of medical supplies, along with medical documents, all of which were reported missing from the clinic.
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