Man linked to Whitefish shooting back out on bond

Wilson Dane Huyser, the man accused of a May shooting in Whitefish that left a bystander injured, is back out on bond.

The 33-year-old Rollins man was released from county jail on July 14 after securing a commercial bond for $25,000. Judge Heidi Ulbricht had lowered bail to that amount a day earlier after hearing arguments from both Huyser’s defense attorney, Thane Johnson, and Deputy County Attorney Andrew Clegg.

Huyser was being held on a bail amount of $150,000 following the filing of amended charges. Originally arrested on a felony criminal endangerment charge, prosecutors later added assault with a weapon. He has since pleaded not guilty to both.

As part of the conditions of his release Huyser must wear a GPS monitor. His firearms — and any other guns in his home — will be stored at his attorney’s office. He is barred from entering Flathead County unless appearing in court or fulfilling job duties in Lakeside.

Huyser was arrested in Rollins not long after the May 14 shooting. Investigators in Whitefish drew upon witness accounts and surveillance footage to track to identify Huyser as the shooter, court documents say.

Prosecutors alleged that Huyser fired a gun as he drove out of the parking garage attached to Whitefish City Hall about 11 p.m. A ricochet from one of the rounds hospitalized a bystander with an injury to the eye. When sheriff’s deputies in Lake County arrested Huyser, they found handguns and a spent shell casing in his vehicle, court documents said.

An omnibus hearing in the case is scheduled for Oct. 5 with Huyser expected back in court for a Nov. 30 pretrial conference. Were the case to go to trial, it would begin in early 2023.

If convicted, he faces up to 20 years behind bars and a $50,000 fine for assault with a weapon. Criminal endangerment carries a maximum punishment of 10 years in state prison and a $50,000 fine.

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