Charlo man pleads guilty to felony burglary, bail jumping

A Charlo man accused of kicking in the door of a Ronan apartment and assaulting the apartment’s tenant pleaded guilty to burglary and bail jumping, both felonies, on March 4 in Lake County District Court.

According to court documents, Kasey Allen Pier, 30, of Charlo, forced his way into the apartment on May 27, 2020, punched the male tenant and hit him with a bottle of apple juice. The victim told authorities he did not know the attacker.

Video footage from the apartment’s hallway helped identify Pier as the attacker.

About a week later the Lake County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of suspicious activity near a property on Minesinger Trail southeast of Polson. The witness contacted deputies about three hours later to report he saw the same man near his deceased relative’s residence with a jacket and a rifle he believed belonged to his relative. Video surveillance again was used to identify Pier.

Officers retrieved the rifle from a ditch and detained Pier, who was wearing the jacket belonging to the witnesses’ relative. Pier denied entering the residence but admitted to being in the area that day.

The bail jumping charge stems from revocation proceedings related to a three-year deferred sentence for a 2019 arrest for felony criminal possession of dangerous drugs. That sentence has been revoked.

Judge Deborah “Kim” Christopher set sentencing for the burglary and bail jumping charges for April 15. Burglary carries a maximum sentence of 20 years and a fine of $50,000. Bail jumping carries a maximum sentence of 10 years.