Trout Creek man sentenced for 2018 charges
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February 27, 2020
A Trout Creek man was sentenced Tuesday for five felonies resulting from a string of events in Trout Creek in November 2018.
West Flockerzi received a total of 30 years' commitment with the Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS), with all but eight of those years suspended. Flockerzi has been under the care of DPHHS at the Montana State Hospital since May of 2019. He was given credit by Judge James Manley on Tuesday for 465 days in jail, and he was also ordered to pay restitution of $3,799.25.
"I think the community deserves ... and I want to be sure, that you are truly no longer a danger to the community when you are released," Judge Manley said during sentencing. Flockerzi was sentenced under a guilty but mentally ill plea and Judge Manley added that the defendant requires ongoing mental health services and chemical dependency treatment.
The sentence issued on Tuesday includes 20 years with DPHHS for attempted arson and assault with a weapon felony charges. Twelve years of that sentence was suspended. On two felony criminal endangerment charges, Flockerzi received a 10-year suspended sentence. For the fifth felony, assault on a peace officer, Judge Manley announced a 2-year suspended sentence.
According to charging documents, Flockerzi went to the Lakeside Resort in Trout Creek on November 14, 2018, pulled out a gun and advised that he was going to burn the place down. Flockerzi then allegedly fled the scene and fired shots through a window at a residence on Larch Street. Flockerzi was eventually arrested in the early hours of Nov. 16. No one was injured during the incident, which included assistance from neighboring agencies, including an armored vehicle from Flathead County and the Missoula County Swat Team.
"I had a mental breakdown," Flockerzi said by video conference from the Montana State Hospital on Tuesday. "I'm doing really well — I can honestly say that — with the medicines I'm on."
Manley acknowledged the change in Flockerzi while in custody. "You've worked hard and made remarkable progress," the judge stated.
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