C-Falls man sentenced for felony theft

A 29-year-old former Columbia Falls man received a three-year deferred sentence for the theft of a snowmobile and motorcycle in 2008.

Flathead County District Court Judge Stewart Stadler sentenced Ryan Ampudia on Aug. 9. Ampudia earlier pleaded guilty to felony theft.

According to court records, a 2008 Polaris 700 RMK snowmobile and a 2005 SDG 125 “pit bike” were reported missing from Kurt’s Polaris in Kalispell on Oct. 1, 2008. They were valued at $9,399 and $2,995 respectively.

Detectives learned the same day that a man named Zachary Gargasz had the motorcycle at his home. When the VIN number on a motorcycle at Gargasz’s home didn’t match the stolen motorcycle, Gargasz allegedly told officers the stolen motorcycle was at Ampudia’s residence.

The case moved forward on Jan. 15, 2010, when Flathead County sheriff’s deputies located the stolen snowmobile at Justin Lingle’s home. When interviewed, Lingle allegedly said Gargasz had told him that Gargasz and Ampudia had stolen the two vehicles from Kurt’s Polaris after Ampudia cut a hole through the fence.

Detectives also interviewed Lingle’s brother Kyle Lingle, Jonathan Hader and James Thompson. The three men allegedly had knowledge of Gargasz’s or Ampudia’s involvement in the theft at Kurt’s Polaris.