Prosecutors: Squatter threatened to shoot deputies

Prosecutors charged a man who allegedly threatened to shoot deputies after getting caught squatting on Montana Department of Transportation property last week with one count of intimidation.

Dion Jay Stark, 51, is being held in the county jail with bail set at $50,000 following the March 29 confrontation with law enforcement. He is expected to appear before Judge Heidi Ulbricht for his April 20 arraignment in Flathead County District Court.

Deputies with the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office crossed paths with Stark after a state employee asked authorities to remove the 51-year-old from a shed near the intersection of Two Mile Drive and the U.S. 93 bypass in Kalispell, court documents said. The man was described in court documents as living in the structure at the time.

Deputies arriving about 8:25 p.m. identified themselves to an individual inside the shed and called on the person to come out and speak with them, according to court documents. In response, the man inside the structure allegedly began yelling and threatening to shoot them.

Later identified as Stark, the man told deputies he would “shove a 9 mm up your [expletives],” according to deputies. He also allegedly insinuated he had various deputies under his sights during the confrontation, court documents said.

Deputies reported being unable to see Stark; they believed he was armed, court documents said.

Eventually, with the arrival of more law enforcement personnel on the scene, authorities removed Stark from the shed, according to court documents.

If convicted, Stark faces up to 10 years in Montana State Prison and a $50,000 fine.

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