Man arrested after C-Falls elementary school threat

A local man has been arrested after threatening a local elementary school Tuesday.

Michael Aaron Inabnit, 37, of Kalispell, is lodged in the Flathead County Detention Center after he allegedly threatened to “shoot up CFalls Schools,” according to a police report from Columbia Falls. He is charged with assault for threats of bodily injury to others and disorderly conduct, both misdemeanors. He is being held on $1,500 bail.

Inabnit is scheduled to make an initial appearance on the charges Thursday.

A woman met with a Columbia Falls police officer Tuesday afternoon and explained she received some suspicious texts from a number she was not familiar with. The series of texts included screenshots of a conversation that included a name, Robert Inabnit, a threat to shoot up Glacier Gateway School, a link to Camp Liberty killings in Iraq, Garbage Pail kids pictures and a picture of meth.

The threat to shoot up a school said “He’s going to snap and shoot up Glacier Gateway School in Cfalls.”

The woman believed the text messages were from Aaron Inabnit. She alleged he is mentally erratic and has stalked her in the past, according to the police report. She also said the messages were “similar to ones he has sent me before in the past.”

The officer asked the woman if she believed Aaron was capable of going through with a threat of shooting up a school and she believed he was capable due to his recent actions. The woman told the officer he went to Iraq in the late 2000s and that the deployments may have a role in his mental instability.

Inabnit had warrants for other matters and deputies arrested him at his home at about 7:45 p.m. Tuesday in Montana Village in the Evergreen area.

Columbia Falls Police Chief Clint Peters wrote in a social media post Tuesday it received a phone call from someone who said a man had made an indirect threat against the Glacier Gateway Elementary School.

“To our knowledge, there was no direct correlation between this male suspect and our school district and we don't know why he named Glacier Gateway in his text,” Peters wrote. “We are confident there are no further suspects in this incident and no further threats to our school district.”

Scott Shindledecker may be reached at sshindledecker@dailyinterlake.com or 406-758-4441.