Kalispell man pleads guilty to felony charge

A Kalispell man initially charged with felony assault with a weapon and a pair of misdemeanor drug charges has been sentenced to probation after pleading guilty to felony criminal endangerment.

Christopher Morris, 37, was given a three-year suspended sentence by District Judge David Ortley during a sentencing hearing Nov. 27.

A court document states Morris threatened his mother and her brother with a 9-millimeter handgun at their home on Nov. 12, then brandishing it, holstered, after returning to the home later in the day.

Deputies responded to the home during his return visit, and once he came outside he was ordered to drop the gun, which he did only after several commands, according to the court document. The gun was loaded but there was no round in the chamber.

The court document says Morris also had a small bag of marijuana and a marijuana pipe with residue in his pocket.

In addition to his probationary sentence, Morris was ordered to pay a $400 public defender fee, undergo a mental health evaluation and anger evaluation as well as to follow any treatment recommendations.