Local man pleads guilty to burglary, drug possession

A man who stole a car from a Columbia Falls garage and crashed it in Whitefish has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge.

Local resident Jamie Brandon, 34, withdrew his not guilty plea last month before going to trial. He did plead guilty to felony burglary while Flathead County District Judge David Ortley dismissed the charge of theft. In a separate case, Brandon also pleaded guilty to possession of dangerous drugs.

Sometime between the evening of July 19 and the morning of July 20, Brandon broke into a residence in Columbia Falls and stole a green 1996 Subaru Legacy, according to court documents. The unlocked vehicle was parked in an unlocked garage on 2nd Avenue East, according to Columbia Falls police. The owner of the vehicle reported the car missing at 9 a.m. She still had the keys to the vehicle and hadn’t give anyone permission to drive it, according to court documents.

Two hours later Whitefish Police Department responded to a two-vehicle crash involving the Subaru. Brandon was identified as the driver at the scene of the accident. He claimed he received the vehicle from a friend, but was unwilling to disclose who that was, according to court documents. Inside the Subaru were items originally in the vehicle owner’s garage.

Brandon is released on a $10,000 bond with the conditions that he doesn’t drink alcohol or enter bars or casinos.

Sentencing is set for Jan. 28.