Suspect in Happy Valley robbery arrested in Washington

The fourth man wanted in connection with an armed home-invasion in Happy Valley on July 6 was arrested July 19 in Renton, Wash.

When the U.S. Marshall Service arrested Stephen Acton, 27, of Whitefish, he was allegedly found in a home with an illegal marijuana grow and had an assault rifle. He is currently being held in the King County jail.

In addition to the Happy Valley robbery charges, Acton is also wanted for running a heroin and methamphetamine drug ring and for making counterfeit money. He is facing charges in Washington and could be extradited to Montana to face charges here.

The three men arrested and charged earlier in connection with the Happy Valley robbery remain in the Flathead County Detention Center and face felony charges.

Kelly Campbell, 22, of Columbia Falls, was initially charged with accountability to robbery, possession of stolen property and violating his parole conditions. Bradley Thompson, 25, of Kalispell, was initially charged with robbery, theft, obstructing a peace officer and resisting arrest. Kevin Gaethle, 29, also of Kalispell, was initially charged with robbery, criminal contempt and violating his parole conditions.

According to sheriff's deputy reports in court records, 911 dispatchers received a report of an armed invasion at 261 Hare Trail from a man who lived there at about 4:45 p.m. He told dispatchers his 16-year-old daughter had been held at gunpoint when two armed men assisted by a third stole a gun safe from the house.

The daughter told the three deputies who arrived that she was working at a computer in the kitchen when the two men entered. When she tried to call her father, they took her cell phone away.

They then asked her where her father stored his guns, and she told them they were in a safe in an upstairs bedroom closet. While one man held a laser-sighted handgun on her, the other searched the bedroom, located the safe and used a cell phone to contact the get-away driver.

While the daughter was unable to describe the driver, she later identified the man who held the gun on her from a photo line-up as Acton. She said she could see the light from the laser sight move across her body during the robbery. She identified the second armed man as Gaethle.

The armed men wore "white mitten-type gloves" and one had tattoos, the daughter said, and one of the armed men told her they were taking the guns because her uncle "Mike" owed them money and that the guns would be returned later.

According to the father, the safe contained a Ruger Mini-14 rifle, three AR-15 rifles, an FN .308 rifle, two 30-30 rifles, a World War II-era Luger pistol and numerous loaded magazines. He also noted that two Burlington Northern Railway rings were missing from the bedroom.

A next-door neighbor reported seeing a gray Volkswagen pull up with three males and seeing two males leave. A neighbor down the road reported seeing a vehicle drive past with one door open and a large boxy object sticking out. Apparently the gun safe would not fit into the Volkswagen Jetta the suspects used to drive away.

The next day, Kalispell police arrested a man for shoplifting at Wal-Mart who identified himself as "John Hale" but turned out to be Thompson and was driving a Volkswagen Jetta. During an interview, Thompson allegedly identified Acton and Gaethle as the other two men involved in the armed robbery.

Gaethle along with the gun safe was located in Columbia Falls. He allegedly told officers he had heard of the robbery from others and knew the Happy Valley family because he helped them move. He also said he knew Acton but didn't know Thompson. Then, saying he felt wrongly charged, he stopped the interview by asking for an attorney.

A woman who was Thompson's girlfriend agreed to talk to officers about the robbery. She said she was present at the Columbia Falls residence when Acton, Thompson and Gaethle divided up the guns from the safe.

That same day, officers learned that Campbell had been arrested during a traffic stop. During his interview, Campbell allegedly said he knew about the robbery from Acton and had made plans with Acton to take the stolen guns to Portland, Ore., to sell or trade for heroin that would be brought back to the Flathead. He said he was on his way to meet Acton when he was stopped, and the missing guns were found in his vehicle, but he denied any involvement in the robbery.

In a later interview, Thompson allegedly told officers he, Acton and Gaethle stole the guns and that Acton had pointed the laser-sighted handgun at the 16-year-old girl in the Happy Valley residence.