A Kalispell man with a history of theft that dates back more than a decade was denied bail reduction Thursday as Flathead District Judge Robert Allison said his extensive history of property crime posed a threat to the public.

“I believe that the community deserves better,” Allison said as he denied lowering bail and releasing Stephen James Dray to a Global Positioning System monitoring system.

Dray was picked up by Flathead Count Sheriff’s Office deputies on Sept. 14 for allegedly stealing a van from Twin Acres Drive in Kalispell. He was found walking away from the vehicle that was reported stolen on Sept. 12, and according to court documents, he allegedly told deputies he used a screwdriver to hot-wire the vehicle. He was released on Sept. 25 on his own recognizance.

Dray was booked back into jail three days later after he was allegedly found in possession of three stolen vehicles at the Hilltop Motel. The vehicles were reported stolen on Sept. 26 from a dealer lot on U.S. 2 in Kalispell.

Dray told Allison during the hearing that he had been in the area for the past year. He admitted that he had prior out-of-state felony convictions in 1999 and 2005 for fraudulently using a credit card and burglarizing a building, but stopped short of taking full responsibility for the crimes, saying that he had permission to use a credit card but had gotten caught on camera using it.

He admitted being caught in a building, but did not admit taken anything.

When it came to discussion of misdemeanor charges against him, Dray shrugged as he said that he had several convictions for petty crime in Flathead Valley that included “shoplifting, stealing food.”

Public defender Vicki Frazier said that she did not believe Dray was a threat to the community.

“These are property crimes, they are not violent crimes,” Frazier said.

Deputy Flathead County Attorney John Donovan disagreed.

“His criminal history has property crimes,” Donovan said. “He’s been here less than a year and in two weeks he was arrested on another felony theft. We feel that he is a threat to a community.”

Judge Allison agreed, saying that while Dray is presumed innocent, he must take into account new charges being filed days after the last jail release.

Dray’s bond remains at $100,000.

Reporter Megan Strickland can be reached at 758-4459 or by email at [email protected].