Companion of suspect heads to prison for 3 years
Jesse Davis | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 10 years, 7 months AGO
A Kalispell man arrested with a woman during a standoff in Spokane County, Wash., has been given a three-year prison sentence after violating his sentences in two prior cases.
Eric Heil, 33, admitted multiple violations of his 2002 sentence for felony burglary and 2009 sentence for felony deceptive practices.
The only violations connected to the Washington incident were that he traveled out of the state without permission and that he associated with another probationer, Bonnie Ulrick.
Heil, however, claimed he did not know Ulrick was on probation. He said he had only met her a few days earlier.
During his testimony about the March 4 shootout between Ulrick and a SWAT team, Heil said he didn’t know why the team was called in the first place.
He said he was sleeping and “woke up to being told we were surrounded.”
Heil came out of the motel room willingly at the commands of law enforcement. He is not facing any charges related to the Spokane incident.
Ulrick, however, allegedly stuck a handgun out a window and fired at the SWAT team, which returned fire, wounding her hand.
In addition to sentencing Heil to three years in the Montana State Prison, District Judge Robert Allison ordered Heil to pay $418 in restitution related to the illegal use of a credit card. That was part of an agreement with the Flathead County Attorney’s Office that ensured he would not be charged for the alleged crime.
Reporter Jesse Davis may be reached at 758-4441 or by email at jdavis@dailyinterlake.com.