Bigfork man sentenced for assault

Gets 20 years for confronting police officers with knife

An 18-year-old Bigfork man was sentenced Thursday to 20 years with 10 suspended for five felonies.

Thomas Conley was convicted of assault on an officer, attempted escape, criminal mischief, and two burglaries.

He was arrested in Kalispell in December after lunging with a knife at Kalispell police officers and being subdued with a Taser jolt.

An intrusion alarm sounded at the Knead Cafe in the middle of the night. When officers arrived, they saw a man who later was identified as Conley, dressed in black clothing and walking away from the cafe.

When he saw the patrol car, Conley fled. Officers say they chased him for a block and found him attempting to hide.

They ordered him to get on the ground. Instead, he reached into a pocket, pulled out a knife and started to charge the officers, police said.

When he refused to get on the ground and told officers to shoot him, one policeman shot a Taser gun at Conley, incapacitating him.

While in jail, Conley attempted to escape by crawling up into the duct work of the building. That attempt damaged the facility.

He was linked to burglaries in Bigfork, including a theft at Bigfork Harbor, where he stole rifles and alcohol.

District Judge Stewart Stadler s sentence includes five years for assaulting an officer, five years for burglary, 10 years suspended for attempted escape, 10 years suspended for criminal mischief, and five years suspended for burglary.

Conley must pay $1,064 for damage he caused to the jail, $1,135 to the Bigfork Harbor Homeowners Association and $1,000 to an individual victim.

He faces an assault charge in Miles City, also.

Prosecuting Deputy County Attorney Dan Guzynski commented on the long sentence.

The sentence reflects that even an 18-year-old s criminal conduct can be so pervasive it needs to be punished severely, even for primarily non-violent crimes.