Mission Valley trio jailed in burglary

Three Mission Valley residents are behind bars after Northwest Montana law enforcement authorities completed a investigation that lasted multiple months.

According to information from Lake County Sheriff Don Bell, his department, Montana Highway Patrol and Flathead Tribal Police, deputies have made three arrests in connection with a series of Mission Valley thefts and burglaries.

The Sheriff’s Office and Highway Patrol also recovered parts of a stolen truck owned by the state of Montana, and developed suspects in a couple of troubling cases in which law enforcement officers were targeted by local criminals.

Authorities served eight search warrants on suspect properties, with numerous items being recovered and returned to their rightful owners.

Those arrested and jailed included the following suspects:

- Todd Lozeau, 36, of Charlo, was arrested after allegedly running from officers during the execution of a search warrant. He has been charged with one burglary, two counts of tampering with evidence, felony theft, and other theft and burglary related charges are pending.

- Paul Groom, 43, of Charlo, was arrested on an outstanding warrant and has been charged with one burglary and one theft.

- Tanya Phillips was arrested on an outstanding warrant and has been charged with one burglary and one theft.

In search warrants, parts and pieces of a truck owned by the Montana Department of Transportation were located and recovered. Deputies recovered a utility box, bumper, miscellaneous parts, the frame and engine.

The cab, fenders, hood, and all of the tools previously contained in the utility box have not yet been located. The truck was stolen from the Dillon area in mid-October and a suspect in the theft has been identified.

Lozeau is charged with crimes related to the possession of the vehicle parts and for crimes related to the dismantlement and concealment of the vehicle.

According to previous media accounts, Lozeau pleaded guilty to drug charges in 2017 and received a two-year deferred sentence.

Through this investigation, deputies have also developed suspects in the case of buckets of nails being dumped on county roads directly in front of the homes of law enforcement officers. Thousands of dollars in damages resulted in this case due to the officers and area residents running over the nails.

This investigation is ongoing and the Lake County Commissioners have stated they will provide award money to anyone providing the Sheriff’s Office with information leading to the arrest and conviction of a suspect in this case.

Also through this investigation, deputies have developed a suspect in a case where a local law enforcement officer’s family dog was abducted, beaten, and dumped at a truck stop in St. Regis. The dog was returned to its family.

Anyone with information on these cases is asked to contact Sheriff’s Deputy Steve Larsonb at slarson@lakemt.gov or at 406-249-3021.