A man released from the Flathead County Detention Center after his bond was eliminated made it less than three hours before being rearrested in connection to a four-person burglary Thursday afternoon in Kalispell.

Brandon Stanfield, 30, Kalispell, appeared before District Judge David Ortley early in the afternoon for a bond reduction hearing.

“His attorney argued he could not afford any bond. We argued against that, knowing Stanfield has a significant criminal history,” Deputy County Attorney Kenneth Park said. “Judge Ortley, against our wishes, released him from custody.”

Stanfield had been in custody on a felony charge of criminal distribution of dangerous drugs after allegedly selling 25 10-milligram methadone pills to a confidential informant on Oct. 21, 2009. Park said Stanfield’s name also has come up in other cases in the county.

“He’s been arrested for burglary about four times, all were dismissed or reduced in charges,” Park said. “He’s trouble.”

Less than three hours after being released from jail, Stanfield was again arrested on preliminary charges of burglary and theft for his alleged involvement in a burglary on North Ashley Lake Road.

According to a release from the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office, the homeowner called the police after returning to his house and finding a suspicious vehicle in his driveway at approximately 3:50 p.m. The people in the vehicle said they were looking for someone else and left.

When he walked up to his house, he found two men standing outside who then ran into the forest. He then saw his door smashed in and found that several of his guns were missing.

Deputies were able to follow footprints from the scene, finding some of the stolen guns buried in the snow. One set of footprints went to a home where they learned one of the men had stopped and asked to use a phone to call for a ride.

Both men were eventually located, one hiding in a building at an unoccupied home and the other on the road.

The second man arrested, 23-year-old Nathan Bayreuther of Kalispell, is also in the middle of court proceedings.

On Dec. 22, 2011, Bayreuther pleaded guilty to felony criminal endangerment and assault on a peace officer in connection with a Nov. 13, 2010, incident in which he kicked a deputy twice while she was trying to arrest him after he nearly ran over the father of the mother of his children.

In exchange for the plea, a prior plea of guilty to felony bail jumping was withdrawn and re-entered as a plea of guilty to misdemeanor bail jumping.

His sentencing in both cases is scheduled for Feb. 2.

During the initial search following the robbery, Flathead Emergency Aviation Resources responded with a helicopter to aid in containment of the suspects and to provide security for deputies on the ground.

Deputies also have identified two other suspects that were in the vehicle discovered by the homeowner in his driveway, but their names have not yet been released. They are being sought for questioning.

Reporter Jesse Davis may be reached at 758-4441 or by email at jdavis@dailyinterlake.com.