Man sentenced in Nite Owl machete case

The 52-year-old Columbia Falls man who allegedly wielded a knife and a machete in the Nite Owl restaurant on Sept. 10, 2011, was sentenced to 10 years with five suspended with the Montana Department of Corrections.

Carlos Seeley pleaded guilty on April 5 to one count of assaulting a police officer and one count of intimidation, both felonies, by way of an Alford plea, in which he did not admit his guilt but conceded the evidence was sufficient to convict him. Felony charges of assault with a weapon and attempted aggravated assault were dismissed as part of the plea agreement.

Flathead County District Court Judge Stewart Stadler sentenced Seeley on May 24 to five years for each remaining count, with the sentence for the intimidation charge consecutive and suspended. He also recommended Seeley for placement in the Connections Corrections program.

According to court records, three eyewitnesses said they saw Seeley pull out a knife and a machete and begin to hassle a patron at the Nite Owl while a waitress tried to reason with him. Columbia Falls Police Det. Steve Hughes responded to the incident and arrested Seeley, but not without difficulty.

After a Taser failed to subdue Seeley, Hughes’ .45-caliber service revolver discharged when Hughes struck Seeley over the head with it. The bullet went up, struck a panel-covered beam, ricocheted down and through the door to the women’s restroom, and ended up in the back wall of the restroom.