By: Derrick Perkins
Source: Daily Inter Lake, Kalispell, Mont. (TNS)
Jun. 4—A 23-year-old man accused of causing about $48,000 in damages while commandeering heavy machinery at a Kalispell construction site also allegedly bought beer and tobacco for his underage companions.
Prosecutors brought Matthew James White up on a felony criminal mischief charge and a misdemeanor count of unlawful transaction with children in Flathead County District Court following a May 21 incident near Kidsport Complex. White, who remains in the county jail with bail set at $50,000, is expected to appear before Judge Paul Sullivan on June 12 for his arraignment.
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Kalispell Police officers came across White after an employee of an excavation firm reported seeing people using machinery at a construction site about 1:30 a.m., according to court documents. Responding to the area around the intersection of Northland and Four Mile drives, authorities found a running excavator.
Aided by a neighbor, who shouted “one went that way” while pointing west, officers found White. They also discovered a 14-year-old hiding under a barbecue cover left in the backyard of a nearby home, court documents said.
The teenager told investigators that White and another minor had picked him up earlier in the night. The trio stopped at a gas station where White allegedly bought a 30-pack of Busch Light Apple, an 18 pack of Twisted Tea, two packs of cigarettes and two packs of ZYN nicotine pouches for the group.
Together they drove around Kalispell before eventually arriving at the construction site, the teenager told officers. They began drinking and taking turns operating the machinery, he said.
Eventually White and the other minor used the excavator to destroy pipes stored at the site, according to court documents. When one member spotted headlights, they fled, the teenager told investigators.
The teenager also provided officers with a breath sample, which came in at 0.059, according to court documents.
The construction site manager later estimated that the damage to the project came in at about $48,000.
If convicted of felony criminal mischief, White faces up to 10 years in Montana State Prison and a fine of $50,000. Misdemeanor unlawful transaction with children is punishable by a $500 fine and a maximum sentence of six months in the county jail.
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