Man sentenced for theft, drugs

A 50-year-old Whitefish man was sentenced to 10 years suspended Thursday in Flathead District Court after pleading guilty to two felony charges.

Kelly Hilbun originally was charged with three counts of felony theft and one count of felony operation of an unlawful clandestine laboratory after a search for stolen tools turned up the tools and a methamphetamine lab June 19, 2009.

Those charges were later amended to add a felony charge of criminal possession of dangerous drugs.

Then, in July 2011, Hilbun pleaded guilty to one count of theft and the drug possession charge, while the remaining charges were dismissed.

Despite calling Hilbun an “extremely unlikeable person,” District Judge Katherine Curtis followed the plea agreement, sentencing him to five years suspended on each charge, to run consecutively.