Columbia Falls man found dead in Whitefish Lake, had prior record

Law enforcement officials are working to identify the cause of death for a Columbia Falls man who died on the shore of Whitefish Lake last week.

Timothy Allen Braaten, 51, was found in the Mackinaw Point area by a boater at about 4 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 23. The boater called 911 and members of the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office, Whitefish Police and Fire departments and Montana Highway Patrol responded.

Braaten was found on the shore with his feet partially in the water.

Sheriff Brian Heino said the investigation determined Braaten crashed his vehicle into a gate the night of Tuesday, Sept. 22, and then he left the vehicle for unknown reasons.

Braaten’s body was taken to the Montana State Crime Lab in Montana and an initial exam determined he died of hypothermia.

Heino said toxicology reports weren’t available yet to determine if Braaten had been under the influence of alcohol or drugs. But alcoholic beverages were found in the vehicle. Heino said it is unknown if Braaten had consumed any alcohol.

Heino said there are warrants pending for a cellphone belonging to Braaten. The Sheriff’s Office is continuing to investigate this case.

Braaten was known to law officers throughout Montana. Heino said Braaten had contact with officers in 2014 in Flathead County.

According to a 2007 story in the Billings Gazette, Braaten, then from Great Falls, was charged with kidnapping a female relative in Billings, forcing her to strip naked to ensure she remained in his vehicle during a drive to Wyoming, then repeatedly assaulting her at a Wyoming hotel.

Braaten, a registered violent offender, was on probation at the time of the alleged abduction. He was released from prison after serving part of a 20-year sentence for armed robbery in Flathead County. He has felony convictions in Cascade and Powell counties for theft, burglary and escape in 1988 and 1989. The robbery occurred in 1991, state records show.

According to the Montana State Board of Probation and Parole, Braaten had his parole revoked in 2018 after he allegedly kidnapped and raped a man in Great Falls in 2015.