Alleged culprit in theft of ATVs faces felony charges
Tyson Andrew Nelson. (Photo courtesy the Flathead County Sheriff's Office)
The man allegedly behind a string of thefts in the spring of 2024 is facing multiple felonies in Flathead County District Court.
Tyson Andrew Nelson, 37, is expected to be arraigned before Judge Dan Wilson on March 13 on burglary and theft charges. He remains in the county jail with bail set at $41,000.
Nelson's alleged spree began April 25 when he and another individual broke into a U.S. 2 East dealership near Kalispell, cutting the fence and making off with two Suzuki all-terrain vehicles, according to court documents. The two ATVs were valued together at $24,296.
Although the thieves wore dark hooded clothing, black face shields and gloves, Flathead County Sheriff's Office deputies dug up surveillance footage of the pair with the ATVs at a storage facility that same day. Detectives identified Nelson as one of the individuals, court documents said.
One of the two vehicles turned up in Ronan in May. Police officers there alerted the Sheriff's Office after running a VIN check for an individual who had traded for it on Facebook Marketplace, court documents said.
That individual allegedly identified Nelson as the other person in the exchange and told investigators the two met up at Nelson's Kalispell home to complete the deal.
That same month, deputies investigated a report of a suspicious trailer left in a private driveway while the owner was out of state. Investigators found a utility trailer abandoned on the property with its door ajar, court documents said.
They tracked down the trailer's owner and determined it was stolen from a storage facility. Though it was undamaged, the owner estimated that the thieves made off with about $8,625 in items stored inside, court documents said.
A neighbor later reported seeing the trailer show up with a green Toyota Tundra and a newer ATV, according to court documents.
Surveillance footage from the storage facility where the trailer was stolen captured two men in ski masks loading ATVs onto it, court documents said. Investigators recognized one of the men as Nelson, court documents alleged.
If convicted of the more serious crime of burglary, Nelson could receive up to 20 years in Montana State Prison and a $50,000 fine.
News Editor Derrick Perkins can be reached at 758-4430 or dperkins@dailyinterlake.com.