Kalispell man suspected of stealing from a helicopter faces a new felony case after allegedly strangling mother
Darin Darold Zick. (Photo courtesy the Flathead County Sheriff's Office)
A man suspected of ransacking a helicopter at the Kalispell City Airport last summer is back behind bars after allegedly attacking his 75-year-old mother.
Authorities have held Darin Darold Zick, 54, of Kalispell in the county jail on $175,000 bond since his May 16 arrest. He pleaded not guilty to one felony count of strangulation before Judge Danni Coffman in Flathead County District Court on May 26.
Zick's mother told Kalispell Police officers responding to her Airport Road apartment about 8:22 a.m., May 16 that the two of them got into an argument over money earlier that morning. Zick grabbed her by the arms and threw her to the ground during the exchange, leaving her with a bloodied elbow, according to court documents.
As she lay there, Zick allegedly got on top of her, put both hands around her neck and squeezed. She later got free and fled the apartment, yelling for help, court documents said. A neighbor let her in and called the authorities.
Officers found and arrested Zick near the intersection of First Avenue West and 10th Street West, according to court documents.
Two days after the arrest, prosecutors filed a petition to revoke Zick's release on the pending felony criminal mischief and attempted theft case stemming from June 2025.
In that case, Zick is accused of stealing equipment from a helicopter parked at the Kalispell City Airport on June 20. When the crew arrived at the airport, they found equipment strewn about the rotorcraft and Zick sitting nearby, according to court documents.
Confronted, Zick allegedly told the crew that he believed the helicopter was slated for the junkyard.
Surveillance footage turned over to investigators captured Zick climbing on top of the helicopter before getting inside, where he spent roughly two hours, according to court documents. The crew valued the equipment pulled from the rotorcraft at about $30,000 and said damage amounted to more than $1,500.
The ransacking rendered the helicopter, which was under contract by the state to aid in fighting wildfires, unable to fly, according to court documents.
Zick has pleaded not guilty in the case.
News Editor Derrick Perkins can be reached at 406-758-4430 or dperkins@dailyinterlake.com. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.