Suspect in bear spray attack facing drug case

A Kila man accused of allegedly attacking another man with bear spray at a fishing access site in 2021 is back in county jail on a drug charge. 

Randaell Charles Stilson, 20, faces one count of felony criminal possession of dangerous drugs in Flathead County District Court after Kalispell Police officers allegedly found fentanyl pills on him on Nov. 8. Stilson pleaded not guilty at his Nov. 16 arraignment before Judge Amy Eddy.

Officers picked Stilson up after employees of a downtown pharmacy reported an individual possibly using drugs in the business’ restroom, court documents said. Finding Stilson inside and arresting him on an outstanding warrant, officers searched the 20-year-old.

While going through his belongings, authorities allegedly found drug paraphernalia — unspecified in the charging documents — and five blue and white pills marked “M30.”

Fake prescription pills known as M30s, according to the U.S. Department of Justice, are designed to imitate Oxycodone, but typically contain fentanyl. M30s usually come in a round shape and are light blue in color.

Examining the pills found on Stilson, officers described them as consistent with those that contain fentanyl, according to court documents. 

Released from custody on his own recognizance Nov. 10 with the condition he wear a drug patch, Stilson was again sought by authorities in early December. In a petition to revoke his release filed in district court, Deputy County Attorney Stacy Boman wrote that Stilson tested positive for drug use and failed to keep appointments to have the patches removed and reapplied. 

Arrested in Yellowstone County on Dec. 12, Stilson returned to the Flathead County Detention Center on Dec. 14. His bail is set at $10,000.

He is scheduled to next appear in court on Jan. 8 for a status hearing. 

In 2022, prosecutors charged Stilson with felony assault with a weapon for allegedly deploying bear spray on a man at a fishing access site on Smith Lake the year prior. In the alleged August 2021 confrontation, Stilson approached the man and began yelling at him before spraying him in the neck and face, court documents said. He then fled the fishing access site, according to court documents. 

Stilson initially pleaded not guilty to the felony and eventually reached a deal with prosecutors. In June 2022, he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor negligent endangerment. 

Following Stilson's change of plea hearing, Judge Heidi Ulbricht sentenced him to a deferred one-year sentence and gave him credit for one day of time served. He was ordered to pay a $100 fine and $75 surcharge.

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