Four facing charges for burglary at Kila home

The last of four people charged in a recent burglary on Spring Hill Road in Kila pleaded not guilty March 22 in Flathead District Court after being arrested on a bench warrant earlier in the month.

Aaron Zelenik, 34, of Bigfork is charged with burglary and theft, both felonies. He faces up to 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $100,000 if convicted.

He also faces an additional sentence of up to 10 1/2 years in prison if his sentences in two prior cases are revoked. He pleaded guilty to felony criminal endangerment, reduced from felony aggravated assault, in a 2010 case and to misdemeanor bail jumping, reduced from felony bail jumping, in a 2011 case.

He was given a seven-year suspended sentence in the 2010 case and a concurrent six month suspended sentence in the 2011 case.

An additional charge of felony burglary was dropped in the 2010 case when he pleaded guilty to endangerment.

Zelenik posted a $10,000 bond after being arrested on the violations before the new charges were filed and then failed to appear at his revocation hearing. A bench warrant was issued and he was arrested March 1.

According to court documents, 45 firearms, a gun safe, a television and other items were reported stolen from the Spring Hill Road home on Jan. 13.

On Jan. 31, a detective interviewed Kandice Tellegen, 25, Kalispell, who allegedly said she was in a vehicle with Jeffrey Weldele, 29, Whitefish, Ashley Ekern, 26, Whitefish, and Zelenik when they drove to the home intending to rob it.

She said Weldele and Zelenik went into the residence to steal the guns and then she and Ekern went into the garage, loaded items into duffel bags and moved them to the vehicle.

That interview was used as the basis for charges against Weldele, Ekern and Zelenik.

Tellegen was charged with felony accountability to burglary, for which she faces up to 20 years in jail and a fine of up to $50,000 if convicted. She pleaded not guilty on Feb. 16 and her next hearing is scheduled for April 11.

She currently is released on her own recognizance.

Tellegen’s criminal history consists of a felony assault with a weapon charge lowered to a misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge for which she was given a 10-day suspended sentence in May 2011.

Weldele and Ekern pleaded not guilty March 15 to their charges related to Spring Hill Road case. Both are currently incarcerated in the Flathead County Detention Center.

Weldele is charged with charged with felony counts of burglary, theft and criminal possession of dangerous drugs — for a syringe filled with liquid sent to the Montana State Crime Lab for further analysis and an oxycodone pill found on him when he was arrested Feb. 3.

He faces up to 35 years in prison and a fine of up to $150,000 if convicted.

He has an extensive criminal history, including felony convictions for issuing a bad check, conspiracy and drug possession, as well as a misdemeanor conviction for theft and probation violations.

Ekern was charged with felony accountability to burglary and felony theft, for which she faces up to 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $100,000 if convicted. She has no prior criminal history.

Ekern and Weldele also are implicated in a Jan. 26 burglary on North Ashley Lake Road.

In addition to the people allegedly involved in the robbery, Scott Daniels, 22, of Kalispell was charged with felony theft on Feb. 3 when he was found with firearms reported stolen from the Spring Hill Road home.

Scott Daniels claimed that he was in the process of trading a non-working truck for the guns. He also said the guns’ serial numbers did not tag as stolen weapons when he ran them through a federal website.

On March 8, Daniels pleaded guilty. He faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $50,000 when he is sentenced on April 12.

Just one week after being charged in that case, Daniels again was charged with felony theft for having snowmobile parts stolen in an unrelated incident. He is facing a further 10 years in prison and fine of up to $50,000.

He pleaded guilty to that charge March 8 and will be sentenced April 12.

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