Suspected gun thief given suspended jail sentences

A Kalispell man accused in 2022 of stealing guns from a house guest and later selling them earned a pair of suspended jail sentences in November. 

Initially brought up on a count of felony theft in Flathead County District Court, Steven Salvador Reyes, 45, struck a deal in the fall that saw prosecutors amend the charges to three misdemeanor counts of theft. Reyes pleaded guilty to all three by way of an Alford plea on Nov. 3. 

In an Alford plea, a defendant maintains their innocence, but acknowledges a jury likely would find them guilty based on the evidence.