Men allegedly fired at deputies

By NICHOLAS LEDDEN/The Daily Inter Lake

Two men were arrested Thursday morning after causing a disturbance at a Creston home and then shooting at responding deputies, the officers allege.

Daniel Joseph Schwindt, 40, and Brian Daniel Rendon, 36, both parole violators from Oregon, are being held in the Flathead County Detention Center pending charges.

The potential standoff and subsequent manhunt began at 1:23 a.m. Thursday, when a woman called the Sheriff's Office from her home on the 1300 block of Riverside Drive to report that two men had "torn up the house," beaten her and another woman, and threatened to shoot at law enforcement.

When deputies arrived, between seven and 10 shots were fired from the house toward officers, said Flathead County Sheriff Mike Meehan.

Law enforcement did not return fire.

Investigators have not determined whether Schwindt and Rendon were in the house and which of them allegedly fired at deputies.

After the shots were fired, the Flathead County SWAT team and Kalispell Special Response Team set up a perimeter and entered the house at about 3:15 a.m.

But the suspects had already fled, Meehan said.

Authorities set up roadblocks on the north end of Riverside Drive, south end of Riverside Drive, and intersection of Montana 35 and Dyer Road. Two deputies were stationed at the nearby Creston School. Investigators used a notification system typically reserved for missing children to put out the suspects' description.

After a short manhunt, both suspects were in police custody by 8:30 a.m., Meehan said. Schwindt was arrested walking near the Flathead River without incident. Rendon was arrested after approaching a vehicle and asking for a ride out of the area. The driver refused and notified investigators.

Neither suspect had traveled outside the roadblock perimeter. Deputies recovered two guns from the scene: a .22-caliber rifle and a .223-caliber semi-automatic rifle.

Both suspects had been drinking the night of the incident and were still intoxicated at the time of their arrest. Neither of the women in the trailer at the time of the incident were seriously injured, Meehan said.

Rendon is in violation of his parole from Linn County, Ore. homicide charges, and Schwindt is in violation of his parole from unauthorized use of a motor vehicle charges in Salem, Ore.

Schwindt has a prior criminal history in Flathead County. He was convicted in 2006 for partner assault and criminal endangerment after beating up his then girlfriend, according to court documents. He served 165 days in the Flathead County jail for that offense.

The incident Thursday is still under investigation.

Reporter Nicholas Ledden can be reached at 758-4441 or by e-mail at nledden@dailyinterlake.com