Montana man charged with shooting four people at a bar pleads not guilty
Share this @internewscast.com

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A Montana man accused of killing four individuals at a bar and then evading arrest for a week was charged on Wednesday with additional offenses, including attempting to set the bar on fire.

State District Judge Jeffrey Dahood ordered that Michael Paul Brown be held without bail after the defendant’s attorneys indicated that mental illness might be relevant to the case.

The owner of The Owl Bar in Anaconda, Montana, David Gwerder, stated Wednesday that investigators informed him Brown set a cardboard pizza box on fire, intending to use it as a “fuse” to ignite a container of flammable or explosive material. The container did not ignite, Gwerder was told, and the suspect allegedly left the bar, returning shortly with a gun to kill the bartender and three patrons.

Brown, a resident of the neighboring area, was charged with attempted arson, according to newly-released court documents that allege he set objects on fire and attempted to damage or destroy the bar “using fire or explosives.”

Brown’s family has said the 45-year-old former soldier long struggled with mental illness before the Aug. 1 shooting.

Defense attorney Walter Hennessey entered a not guilty plea on Brown’s behalf to charges including four counts of murder, theft, and evading law enforcement. Brown appeared by video from the jail in Butte, Montana.

A decision on whether to seek the death penalty for Brown concerning the murder charges is still pending, Deer Lodge County Attorney Morgan Smith informed the court on Wednesday. Executions in Montana have been suspended since 2015 because of a court ruling concerning a drug used in lethal injections.

Bail for Brown previously had been set at $2 million. But Dahood on Wednesday sided with a prosecution request to hold Brown for now without the possibility of bail. The judge cited public safety and the mental health issues raised by Brown’s attorneys.

The judge set trial for Jan. 12.

Anaconda, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) northwest of Butte, is home to roughly 9,000 people. It is surrounded by mountains. Following the shooting, Brown allegedly stole a truck that he ditched several miles outside of town at the base of a mountain before escaping into the forest.

He hid for a week in that area west of Anaconda where he was eventually apprehended, moving locations while helicopters and drones circled overhead and officers and dogs searched on the ground, officials said. Brown was captured on Aug. 8 inside an unoccupied structure near a bar in the small community of Stumptown, authorities said.

Investigators also have been examining whether he had any contact with individuals or property owners who might have helped him while he was on the run.

Authorities have not commented on a possible motive, and much of the case against Brown has been sealed by the judge.

Brown had patronized the bar over several decades and knew the victims, Gwerder said.

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like
White House unveils 'OnlyFarms' website, welcomes farmers with golden tractor on South Lawn

White House Launches ‘OnlyFarms’ Initiative with a Golden Tractor Celebration on the South Lawn

In a show of support for the agricultural community, the Trump administration…
UPDATED: Tiger Woods Arrested, Charged With DUI After Accident; FL Police Release Mug Shot

UPDATE: Tiger Woods Arrested and Charged with DUI Following Accident; Florida Police Release Mugshot

UPDATED [11:13 PM Eastern]: Fox News has reported that authorities have made…
March Madness: Chicago's United Center hosting Sweet 16, Elite Eight games; Illini fans celebrating Illinois win over Houston

Experience March Madness: Chicago’s United Center Hosts Sweet 16 & Elite Eight—Illinois Fans Rejoice After Epic Win!

CHICAGO (WLS) — The thrill of March Madness has taken hold across…
A riot broke out following Opening Game in Cincinnat

Cincinnati’s Opening Day Chaos: Arrests, Fights, and Police Clashes Unleashed

Downtown Cincinnati was teeming with people after the Reds’ Opening Day baseball…
House Republicans pass stopgap DHS funding bill after rejecting Senate version 

House Republicans Approve New DHS Funding Plan, Dismiss Senate Proposal

In a late-night decision, House Republicans approved a temporary funding bill on…
Expected next CPS CEO Macquline King wasn't always on top of school board members' lists, many say she's proven herself

From Underdog to Top Contender: How Macquline King Won Over CPS School Board Members

CHICAGO — Macquline King, a proud product of Chicago Public Schools, is…
St. John, Indiana woman Jenna Strouble, charged with murder after 3 Crete Township deaths on East Norway Trail, waives extradition

Jenna Strouble Faces Murder Charges in Crete Township Triple Homicide; Waives Extradition to Indiana

In Crete Township, Illinois, a 30-year-old woman from Indiana has been formally…
The race against time to destroy Iran’s illicit nuclear weapons program heats up amid fresh strikes

Escalating Efforts to Dismantle Iran’s Illicit Nuclear Program Amid Recent Strikes

The Iranian regime’s continued possession of critical sites and materials for nuclear…
Zelenskyy claims US tied Ukraine security guarantees to giving up Donbas, White House denies

Zelenskyy’s Bold Accusation: Did the US Demand Ukraine Surrender Donbas for Security Assurances?

In a recent interview with Reuters, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed that…
Tiger Woods mugshot revealed after crash, DUI arrest

Shocking Tiger Woods Mugshot Surfaces Following DUI Arrest and Car Crash

Tiger Woods appeared visibly disoriented and bleary-eyed in his mugshot following a…
US troops brace for ‘hit-and-run’ guerilla attacks as 82nd Airborne deploys to Iran, military analyst warns

82nd Airborne Deployment: US Troops Prepare for Potential Guerilla Warfare in Iran, Expert Cautions

US deploying 1,500 troops from 82nd Airborne In a recent update from…
SF Supervisor Jackie Fields hospitalized, plans to resign: report

Breaking News: SF Supervisor Jackie Fields Hospitalized and Set to Resign – What This Means for the City

A rising political star in San Francisco has been abruptly taken out…