Gate blaster ordered to pay $27,000

A Kalispell man will serve probation for blowing up Marion couple’s gate with a rifle and an explosive.

Michael Ray Paul Kelly, 29, was convicted of felony arson on New Year’s Eve. On Thursday, District Judge Ted O. Lympus ordered Kelly to be on probation and pay $27,000 in restitution as the gate’s owners looked on from the gallery.

As part of a previous plea agreement, a felony count of possession of explosives was dropped. Prosecutors recommended a six-year deferred sentence, which Lympus followed.

According to court documents, Kelly placed an explosive called Tannerite on an electronic gate at the edge of a Marion couple’s property in September 2013. He shot the explosive with a rifle, causing thousands of dollars in damage. The couple had already reported that someone had blown up their gate earlier in the year.

A tipster contacted the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office and said he was with Kelly in September and that he caused the explosion. Kelly later confessed to an investigator, according to court documents.

Kelly’s attorney said that the $27,000 restitution amount was reached with help from the Marion couple, who had attended all court hearings. On Thursday, Kelly stood and offered an apology to them.