Kalispell man allegedly stole SUV from repair shop lot
Barah Zebariah Wood. (Photo courtesy the Flathead County Sheriff's Office)
A Kalispell man faces a felony theft charge after authorities caught him on June 7 in a vehicle stolen from a North Meridian Road repair shop.
Barah Zebariah Wood, 22, is expected to appear before Judge Heidi Ulbricht in Flathead County District Court on July 21 for his arraignment. He was released June 20 from county jail on his own recognizance.
Local authorities began honing in on Wood after the Kalispell Police Department received a report of a stolen 2007 GMC Yukon XL, court documents said. The vehicle’s owner told officers that he dropped it off at the repair shop on June 6, leaving the keys in the SUV.
When he called to check on the vehicle the next day, employees told him it was missing.
About 10:39 p.m., June 7 deputies with the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office came across the Yukon near the Berne Park River Access. Wood allegedly was sitting behind the wheel. He was the only person in the vehicle, court documents said.
Under questioning, Wood allegedly admitted taking the vehicle, which the Kelley Blue Book valued at $7,715.
If convicted, Wood faces up to 10 years in state prison and a maximum fine of $10,000.