Man charged in gun theft

A Whitefish man was arrested Friday in the theft of a gun that eventually passed through three unsuspecting owners.

Travis Hiller, 21, a transient, is charged with theft, according to detective Dan Frank of the Whitefish Police Department.

Frank said Hiller is accused of stealing a Glock .45-caliber semiautomatic gun from a former roommate. Hiller's girlfriend reportedly pawned the weapon at First National Pawn. It wasn't reported yet as stolen, and so the pawn shop paid $150 for it.

A Kalispell man bought the gun for about $350, Frank said. He made some improvements to it and then traded it for a $900 Audi.

Frank tracked the stolen gun through those sales and returned it to the original owner.

"Everybody cooperated," Frank said, even though people who wind up with stolen property or proceeds from stolen property can't keep it.

"They're all stand-up guys," Frank said.

Police thought Hiller had returned to Washington, but he was involved in a disturbance Thursday night and was arrested for disorderly conduct.

Bond was set at $1,500, which could be used for restitution for the victims, Frank said.