Suspected robber given pair of suspended sentences

A man accused of climbing into another motorist’s vehicle parked at a Columbia Falls gas station over the summer earned a pair of suspended sentences in Flathead County District Court last month.

Mark Sheldon Allen, 53, initially faced a felony robbery count for the Aug. 11 incident. He pleaded not guilty at his Aug. 24 arraignment before Judge Amy Eddy. 

However, he took a deal with the County Attorney’s Office in October. In exchange for a guilty plea, prosecutors amended the felony charge to misdemeanor counts of assault and criminal trespass to a vehicle. They also agreed to recommend he receive a pair of suspended sentences to the county jail, and pay $370 in court fines and fees. The sentences were to run concurrently.