Nineteen years ago, Downing earned nickname "Cocaine Fairy"

Michael Ray Downing of Hungry Horse was no stranger to law enforcement veterans of the Flathead Valley when he was arrested and charged recently with burglary related to an alleged theft ring of about $1 million in tools, vehicles and other items from seasonal homes and local businesses. 

In August 2006 Downing, then 27, earned the nickname “Cocaine Fairy” after he was busted by the Northwest Montana Drug Task Force near Bigfork. When officers arrived, Downing fled out the back door as police went in the front. Downing tore open a half-pound bag of cocaine as he ran, creating a big cloud of cocaine as he ran off into the woods, thus the “fairy” moniker.

He escaped that initial arrest attempt but was found not too long after. Task Force members found more than 4 pounds of the drug in the residence and $12,000 in cash. 

Downing was charged and ultimately pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiracy to distribute cocaine in 2007. 

He was sentenced to 70 months in prison and five years probation, but he violated the terms of his probation in a couple of instances for drinking alcohol, according to court records, and wasn’t released from federal probation until 2019. 

Flathead County Sheriff Brian Heino said he remembered Downing well. Heino was a member of the Drug Task Force back in 2006. 

Downing was just as bold with this latest string of alleged burglaries.  

Heino said law enforcement had Downing in their sights, but then he allegedly tried to tear a safe out of a house with a chain and a side-by-side up Half Moon Road, which led to his May 6 arrest by the county SWAT team at Downing’s Mountain Drive home in Hungry Horse. 

Since October 2024, over 15 burglary cases across Flathead County have been linked to Downing and his crew, Heino noted. 

The vast majority of the targeted properties have been vacant residences, often seasonal homes. 

Heino said law enforcement continues to tie together the burglaries as more information comes in, but he said he could confirm that vehicles stolen from Glacier Raft Co. last year have been tied to Downing. 

Columbia Falls Police Chief Chad Stephens said the department is also exploring the possibility that Downing and his accomplices may have been responsible for the theft of about $35,000 in tools from the contractors building the Columbia Falls skateboard park last year. 

Two other people, 34-year-old James Ekvall and 35-year-old Ashley Bruns have also been arrested in connection with the alleged burglary ring.  

“We want to assure the public that we take these crimes very seriously,” Heino said. “This was a coordinated and deliberate effort to protect our communities and hold those responsible accountable.” 

The investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with information related to these burglaries is urged to contact the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office at (406) 758-5610.