Man sentenced for series of burglaries from vehicles

The Daily Inter Lake

A man convicted of smash-and-grab thefts from vehicles throughout the Kalispell area has been sentenced to 10 years on probation.

Willie J. Grayson, 52, also was ordered to pay more than $4,900 in restitution Thursday during his sentencing hearing in Flathead County District Court.

Grayson, who pleaded guilty by way of Alford plea to felony theft, maintains his innocence and appeared dismissive of the proceedings during Thursday's hearing.

According to court documents, investigators connected Grayson to eight instances between Jan. 1 and Jan. 16, 2008, where car windows were smashed and items - usually wallets, purses and cash - were stolen.

The eight break-ins that investigators attribute to Grayson are only a portion of those that occurred during a rash of thefts from vehicles early last year.

Grayson was arrested after surveillance cameras from a convenience store recorded him using credit cards that had been reported stolen from a vehicle.

Detectives searched Grayson's Kila home and recovered, from a garbage can, evidence connecting him to several cases where items had been stolen from vehicles.

In exchange for Grayson's plea to the theft charges, prosecutors dropped a count of felony criminal mischief.