Accused thief given deferred prosecution agreement
Barah Wood sits at the defendant's table during his Aug. 11, 2022, arraignment in Flathead County District Court on a felony theft charge. (Derrick Perkins/Daily Inter Lake)
A 24-year-old accused of stealing a vehicle from a Kalispell repair shop in 2022 and later breaking into an Evergreen business saw the charges against him dismissed this month.
Barah Zebariah Wood faced felony theft and burglary charges as well as a misdemeanor count of criminal mischief in two separate cases in Flathead County District Court after a pair of arrests in summer 2022. He initially pleaded not guilty in both cases, but struck a plea deal in December of that year.
When he failed to show up for his March 16, 2023 sentencing, Judge Heidi Ulbricht issued a bench warrant for his arrest. Authorities caught up with him in November 2023, according to district court records.
In December, Wood entered into a deferred prosecution agreement. As per the terms of the deal, Wood was to travel to Lake Charles, Louisiana where he was expected to undergo substance abuse treatment, behavioral health treatment, maintain his sobriety and remain law abiding, and stay at a sober living facility. In exchange, prosecutors agreed to drop the cases after two years.
Defense attorney Nick Aemisegger on Jan. 2 filed an unopposed motion to see Wood released on his own recognizance so he could travel first from Missoula to Texas to meet with family and then go on to Louisiana.
Based on Wood’s reported success in undergoing treatment, securing employment and getting into a sober living facility, Deputy County Attorney Amy Kenison filed a motion Jan. 11 to dismiss his charges without prejudice. Ulbricht signed the order that same day.
Wood’s first run in with law enforcement came after Flathead County Sheriff’s Office deputies found him in a 2007 GMC Yukon XL reported stolen from the North Meridian Road repair shop in July 2022, according to court documents. Wood allegedly admitted to taking the vehicle, valued at an estimated $7,715.
On Sept. 13, the owner of an Evergreen nursery spotted an individual inside the business while reviewing a live camera feed about 4:56 a.m., court documents said. Arriving deputies allegedly found Wood leaving the nursery with stolen sodas in hand.
Investigators estimated Wood caused an estimated $1,794 in damages while forcing his way into the business, according to court documents.
News Editor Derrick Perkins can be reached at 758-4430 or dperkins@dailyinterlake.com.