Member Center

Western Montana Crime News

1 man believed to be behind Kalispell home burglaries

Posted: Feb 17, 2012 5:26 PM by Katy Harris (KAJ News)
Updated: Feb 17, 2012 9:39 PM


Bookmark and Share
Rating:

0.0 (0 votes)

KALISPELL- Imagine coming home to find a strange vehicle in your driveway, with two people outside the house and two others running away. Then inside you discover the home had been broken into, with guns missing.

It happened January 26th on North Ashley Lake Road in Kalispell.

30-year-old Brandon Stanfield, and 23-year-old Nathan Bayreuther both of Kalispell are now being charged with the burglary, while 26-year-old Ashley Ekern of Whitefish is charged with accountability to burglary. On Thursday, all three pled not guilty.

Just a few weeks before that burglary there was a similar incident where about 50 guns were reported stolen from a home on Spring Hill Road in Kalispell.

Also on Thursday, 25-year-old Kandice Tellegen of Kalispell pleaded not guilty for her alleged role in the Spring Hill Road burglary. Aaron Zelenik, 34, of Bigfork was also arrested in that case, but posted bond and failed to show up for his recent court date. Zelenik now has a bench warrant out for his arrest.

So what's the connection between the Spring Hill Road and the North Ashley Lake Road burglaries? Law enforcement says it's one man, 29-year-old Jeffrey Weldele from Kalispell.

Flathead County Sheriff Chuck Curry says Weldele was behind a plan to steal guns and sell them for money to buy drugs.

"We do have information tying Mr. Weldele into more than one burglary here in the area. He seems to be the common thread. We do believe that many of the stolen guns were leaving the state and going out-of-state probably to Washington and other surrounding states in a guns for drugs type exchange."

Weldele will appear in court next Thursday to face charges related to both burglaries.

Connect with KAJ Facebook Twitter Email

Topics: Spring Hill Road, North Ashley Lake, burglaries, Weldele, Kalispell.

Comments

KPAX.com is social!

Recent Top Stories