A 25-year-old Columbia Falls man was sentenced Thursday in Flathead District Court to five years in jail and 10 years of probation for convictions in three cases.

Jan Vondrich previously had pleaded guilty to a felony charge of burglary connected with a Oct. 26, 2011 break-in at Gardner’s RV & Trailer Center that resulted in roughly $20,000 in damages and stolen merchandise. A secondary charge of felony theft was dismissed.

He also pleaded guilty to a felony charge of criminal distribution of dangerous drugs, having sold methamphetamine to an undercover agent on Oct. 26, 2011, prior to the Gardner’s burglary.

During court proceedings Thursday, Vondrich pleaded guilty to an additional felony charge of burglary. That charge was connected to the theft of between $2,000 and $3,000 from keno machines at Pick’s Bowling Center.

Charges of felony theft and misdemeanor criminal trespass to property were dismissed. Those charges stemmed from Vondrich’s most recent arrest, during which evidence linking him to the Pick’s burglary was found.

Vondrich was apprehended by deputies with the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office after they learned he planned to break into the county impound lot to get inside his vehicle, where he had stashed the keys to the keno machine.

Deputies replaced the keys with non-functioning duplicates and hid in the lot until he retrieved them, arresting him as he tried to escape.

Vondrich told District Judge Katherine Curtis that he had a problem with opiates and amphetamines and was under the influence of drugs when he committed his crimes.

He also confirmed that he moved to Oregon several months before his local crimes occurred, and that shortly after arriving there he was arrested and convicted for possession of methamphetamine and sentenced to 18 months of probation.

Vondrich applied for an interstate compact and moved back to Montana, but the application was denied. He never returned to Oregon, where he is believed to still have an active warrant, to deal with the issue.

It was only a brief period of time after returning to Montana before he started collecting his local charges.

Court documents also show Vondrich’s criminal history includes multiple misdemeanor drug charges, misdemeanor theft and numerous traffic violations.

In addition to his jail sentence, Vondrich was ordered to pay roughly $2,000 in fines and fees as well as $2,500 in restitution to Pick’s and $13,470 in restitution to Gardner’s. The restitution to Gardner’s is to be paid in conjunction with a codefendant.

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