Caye admits to weapon assault

A Lake County man, Gage Alexander Caye, 22, entered a plea of guilty in District Court at Polson Feb. 12 to assault with a weapon.

The plea was entered as part of an agreement that could dismiss charges of unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted person and tampering with, or fabricating, physical evidence.

It also comes with a joint recommendation of 15 years in the Montana State Prison, with 10 years suspended. The judge is not bound by the agreement.

According to court records, on July 8, 2024, a woman contacted law enforcement to report Caye at her residence on BlueBird Lane, east of Ronan. Caye got into an argument with her and threatened to kill her with a shotgun.

Multiple law enforcement agencies responded and immediately took one male into custody. That person told law enforcement that Caye was armed with a rifle, pistol and body armor.

Caye initially refused to exit the garage of the residence, where he and several others were hiding. Caye is registered as a violent offender for a robbery conviction in March 2019. He also had absconded while under probation with an active warrant for his arrest.

Flathead County’s SWAT team assisted authorities in Lake County with an armed stand-off. Caye was eventually persuaded to surrender peacefully. Several other known drug users were also found hiding in the garage.

Caye admitted that he had a pistol when he confronted the woman who contacted law enforcement, but denied pointing it at her. Caye told investigators where he had stashed his firearm, which had an extended capacity magazine.

A search warrant was obtained to search the residence. An officer found a Glock 9 mm handgun where Caye said it would be, including 15 rounds of ammo in the magazine. Law enforcement also found shotgun shells and drug paraphernalia during the search.

Judge Molly Owen set sentencing for April 9. Caye remains in jail with bail set at $200,000.