Machete-wielding man robbed panhandler, court docs say

A 53-year-old man faces multiple felony charges after allegedly trying to shake a panhandler down for money with a machete near Kalispell last week.

Michael Robert Hughley is expected to appear before Judge Heidi Ulbricht in Flathead County District Court on Aug. 1 for his arraignment on counts of assault with a weapon and robbery. He remains in the county jail with bail set at $75,000.  

Deputies with the Flathead County Sheriff's Office began searching for Hughley after a woman panhandling at the intersection of Woodland Park Drive and U.S. 2 East accused him of threatening her with a weapon, according to court documents. The woman told investigators that Hughley, who she knew beforehand, parked nearby and allegedly approached her with a machete.