Drug felon charged with shooting at Canyon men
Hungry Horse News
A 38-year-old former Hungry Horse man with a history of cycling in and out of prison and problems with drug use faces two assault with a weapon charges after witnesses claim he fired multiple rounds with a shotgun at them on Dec. 26 last year.
Ryan Lee Moskaloff, of Kalispell, pleaded not guilty to two counts of assault with a weapon and one count of criminal endangerment in Flathead County District Court on Jan. 16. An omnibus hearing is scheduled for May 6.
According to court records, the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office learned about he incident when a deputy responded to First Street Southwest in Hungry Horse for a report of an accidental gunshot wound.
In a later interview, the victim said he was in a camper trailer on Moskaloff’s property with his mother when he saw three people outside. He stepped outside to talk to one he recognized when he noticed Moskaloff out of the corner of his eye loading a shotgun and raising it to fire. The victim said he stepped up and pushed the barrel down. The shotgun discharged and hit him in the left ankle, he told officers.
An interview with Brad Winters, a violent felon whose sentence for felony criminal endangerment has been revoked three times, revealed a different story. Winters said he went to Moskaloff’s place with two other men to retrieve a Chevy Tahoe. He got behind the driver’s seat while one of the other men went to the camper trailer to get the key.
Winters said he then heard a gunshot and a woman scream. He said he saw Moskaloff shooting the shotgun at the man who went to get the key and then turn to shoot at the Tahoe. Winters said he exited the Tahoe on the opposite side, got into his own truck and fled the scene. He said he could hear shots hit his truck.
Another man at the scene told deputies he saw Moskaloff holding the shotgun and heard multiple shots. He said he got in his own vehicle, put his head down and fled, scared for his life.
Deputies inspected both vehicles and allegedly found fresh damage. The Tahoe appeared to have been hit with a shotgun slug, and Winters’ truck appeared to have been hit by shotgun pellets.
Moskaloff was on probation at the time for failing to register as a violent or sex offender, and a petition was filed to revoke his probation. Felonies on his rap sheet include bailjumping, meth production and drug possession. He has been paroled out of prison several times.
Despite his numerous parole violations and a recommendation by the state probation officer that he is “unsuitable for community supervision,” Moskaloff has been able to post bond and get out of jail. He posted a $80,000 property bond on April 16, but the bond this time is $200,000.