Prosecutors lessen charges against man accused of break-in

A district court judge has dismissed a felony charge against a local man accused of trying to burglarize a Columbia Falls home in April.

Douglas Wayne Lukenbill, 69, was initially brought up on a burglary charge after authorities began investigating the alleged April 23 break-in. According to court documents, witnesses identified Lukenbill as the individual caught on surveillance camera acting suspiciously around the home around the time of the alleged burglary.

Deputies with the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office arrived on scene after an individual reviewing surveillance footage of the home spotted a man standing outside about 11 p.m. The man later approached the surveillance camera and removed it, court documents said.

Investigators also concluded that someone had forced open a door at the property.

Though documents filed in district court indicated that Lukenbill acknowledged being in the area after authorities confronted him with the surveillance footage, he pleaded not guilty at his May 19 arraignment in Flathead County District Court.

Late last month, defense attorney Timothy Wenz told Judge Dan Wilson that he had reached an agreement with prosecutors that would see the charges against his client lessened. According to a motion to dismiss filed by Deputy County Attorney John Donovan on Aug. 1, prosecutors will now seek misdemeanor counts of criminal trespass to property and theft in county justice court.

Wilson ordered the burglary charge dismissed Aug. 2.

News Editor Derrick Perkins can be reached at 758-4430 or dperkins@dailyinterlake.com.