Man charged with construction trailer theft
A Flathead County man already in jail for two felony charges has been charged with a third after he allegedly stole more than $15,000 worth of construction gear.
Stephen Lee Goodnight, 40, is charged with felony theft in Flathead District Court.
According to court documents, Finmark Construction reported on March 6 that a work trailer containing $15,000 worth of tools had been found abandoned on Trumbull Creek Road. The padlock to the trailer had been broken and it was empty. The company reported the trailer had last been seen where it was supposed to be, at a job site on March 4.
Footage from surveillance cameras at Glacier Park International Airport identified an older Jeep hauling the stolen trailer. Officers recognized the Jeep as possibly belonging to Goodnight, a suspect in numerous other thefts.
In August Goodnight was allegedly found in possession of some of the stolen items marked with “Finmark Construction” after authorities acquired a warrant to search his residence. Goodnight allegedly admitted that he had used drugs in the past few years, leading to criminal activities, but said he didn’t know why he took the trailer or what he did with the missing construction tools.
Goodnight will be arraigned on the new charge on Dec. 15.
He was already being held on $15,000 bail in two other cases to which he has pleaded not guilty.
In one case Goodnight denied felony burglary.
In that case, authorities claim Goodnight was found in possession of multiple glass table tops, a stone table base, cloth chairs, barstools, and tables and coffee tables that were taken from Patty Seaman Mobile Homes Feb. 20-22. Workers reported that more than $4,000 in items had been taken from three mobile homes.
Goodnight also is charged with felony criminal possession of dangerous drugs after he allegedly dropped a digital scale from a Crown Royal bag as officers questioned him about someone else’s whereabouts on Nov. 20, 2015.
Goodnight reportedly admitted to an investigating officer that he was a meth user and the bag contained drug paraphernalia.
In a September bail reduction hearing for those cases, County Attorney Ed Corrigan also pointed out that Goodnight has a long criminal history including a felony conviction for rape of a child out of Kansas in the 1990s. He also has been charged or cited for failure to register or failure to appear in court on multiple occasions in Virgina, Missoula County and Flathead County.
Goodnight has remained in Flathead County Detention Center since Nov. 23.
Reporter Megan Strickland can be reached at 758-4459 or mstrickland@dailyinterlake.com.