Vape store burglar sentenced to prison time

A Kalispell man recently was sentenced to five years for burglarizing an Evergreen business.

Corwin Joshua Christopher Way, 19, was sentenced March 25 in Flathead County District Court by Judge Dan Wilson.

Way pleaded guilty to the crime Feb. 11. As part of the plea deal, two other felony counts of burglary were dismissed. He will serve his time in a state Department of Corrections facility. Way was ordered to not possess alcohol or illegal drugs, and not to engage in gambling activities.

He was ordered to pay restitution of $13,590 to one of the victim’s in the case. He also was ordered to obtain a high school equivalency degree.

He was given credit for 121 days time served in the county jail.

Way was accused of entering three separate businesses in the Evergreen area on Montana 35, including two medicinal marijuana stores and one store that sold vaping products and e-cigarettes.

According to the charging document, Way reportedly told one of the investigators he thought it would be fun to “rob a dispensary.”

The case began on March 21, 2020, when the owner of one of the medicinal marijuana stores called 911 to report a burglary. Officers from the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office found a glass front door shattered.

Both doors of the other two businesses were also damaged.

The vape store owner said there were items missing from the business

Two days later, on March 23, a sheriff’s deputy arrested Way because he matched the description of a man seen on surveillance video inside one of the medical marijuana stores.

According to a detective who interviewed Way, he admitted to burglarizing three Evergreen area businesses two nights prior and his backpack contained stolen “vaping” items.

Way said there was nothing to steal at the two medical marijuana businesses.

In 2019, Way, who was then 17 years old, was accused of sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl in 2018, but the charges were later dropped after Way agreed to a deferred sentence and both sides agreed to the dismissal of charges.

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