Man pleads guilty to stealing 24 firearms

A Martin City man recently pleaded guilty in Flathead County District Court to theft of 24 guns, thousands of rounds of ammunition and reloading equipment from a Kila home last year.

In exchange for the guilty plea, Flathead County assistant attorney Travis Ahner has recommended a suspended sentence of eight years for Tucker Mathis. The prosecutor also won’t seek to place Mathis as a persistent felony offender.

Over the course of several days in December of last year, Tucker Mathis, 25, allegedly stole firearms, equipment and other personal property belonging to a Kila man, according to court documents. The property owner was out of town at the time. Mathis admitted to detectives in December that he made three trips to the house to steal items.

The charges were punishable by a maximum term of 10 years in the state prison, a maximum fine of $50,000 and restitution for the stolen items.

Mathis has a prior conviction for misdemeanor criminal mischief involving a Coram business in 2010.

Sentencing for the gun thefts is July 14.