Brothers facing assault with a weapon charges reach deferred prosecution agreements

A Flathead County District Court judge earlier this month dismissed cases against two brothers accused of firing a handgun at a woman and holding a pistol to her head last summer.

Eugene George Hallas, 73, and Raymond Irwin Hallas, 66, initially faced charges of felony assault with a weapon following an Aug. 24, 2022 disturbance on a property on Montana 40 between Columbia Falls and Whitefish. Both pleaded not guilty in the fall of that year.

But on April 12, during scheduled appearances in court for pretrial conferences, prosecutors announced that both had secured deferred prosecution agreements.

According to charging documents, the pair came to the attention of authorities after a woman told deputies with the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office the two confronted her, armed with a chain and guns. The woman had told investigators she was living on the property in a camper with her boyfriend and young children.

In the woman’s account, Raymond Hallas arrived first, struck a vehicle with a chain, choked her and then fired off two rounds from a semi-automatic gun, court documents said. Arriving later, Eugene Hallas allegedly aimed a gun at her, the muzzle coming up against her head.

The woman was fleeing when deputies caught up with her, according to court documents. They employed a drone to locate the two brothers, court documents said.

Authorities recovered a firearm from Eugene Hallas’ vehicle and two 9 mm magazines in his pocket, court documents said. They also allegedly found a gun light in Raymond Hallas’ pocket.

Shortly after announcing the deferred prosecution agreements in court on April 12, prosecutors filed motions to dismiss both cases without prejudice. That means the cases could be retried, likely in the event one or both fails to follow the terms of the agreements, the details of which were not immediately available.

Allison ordered both cases dismissed without prejudice on April 13.

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