Kalispell man gets 5 years for criminal endangerment

A 35-year-old Kalispell man was sentenced to five years in prison Thursday in Flathead District Court after pleading guilty to two counts of felony criminal endangerment.

Zachariha Dawson was also originally charged with felony assault with a weapon, but that charge was dropped in exchange for his plea of guilty to the other two counts.

On March 29, Dawson nearly struck several people in the parking lot of Paddy’s Touchdown Lounge with his car. He had been kicked out of the bar earlier that night for continuing to cause trouble after bartenders refused to serve him more alcohol.

The bartender and a poker dealer were outside when they allegedly saw Dawson make sexual advances toward a young woman. When those advances were denied, Dawson allegedly sped toward all three, who dove out of the way. Each told police if they hadn’t moved, they probably would have been killed.

Friends took two adult victims from the accident to the hospital, where they were treated and released.

After fleeing the parking lot, Dawson ran a red light at the nearby intersection of Meridian Road and Idaho Street and was involved in an accident. He then fled the accident on foot before he was found exiting a swampy area nearby.

When officers attempted to detain Dawson, he swung his arms up and over his head while handcuffed and attempted to run again, but was stopped.

During Thursday’s hearing, Dawson took a moment to address the court, admitting he was an alcoholic and stating he was now attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.

“What I did was a nasty mistake,” Dawson said. “I’m very grateful that no one got hurt.”

In addition to his prison sentence, Dawson was also sentenced to 10 years of probation following the initial five years, and was ordered to pay a $320 surcharge and a total of $15,122 in restitution to be paid to three parties.

Reporter Jesse Davis may be reached at 758-4441or at jdavis@dailyinterlake.com.