A local chef and restaurateur faces a felony charge after allegedly shoplifting more than $1,500 in retail goods from an area big box retailer earlier this year.

Brian Paul Scotti-Belli, 44, pleaded not guilty to a single count of theft in Flathead County District Court last week. His Dec. 8 arraignment before Judge Dan Wilson came nearly a month after he posted a commercial bond of $10,000 to secure his release and nearly eight months after a store manager at a popular hobby supply retailer contacted authorities, according to court documents.

Kalispell Police officers crossed paths with Scotti-Belli, former owner of 406 Bar & Grill, after investigating a string of thefts at a retail outlet beginning on March 11. There, they met with a manager, who described a man repeatedly running the same scheme. He paid for a few items with a credit card, the manager said, but left the store with bags full of unscanned goods.

Officers reviewed surveillance footage of the man and watched as he carried out the ploy on Jan. 28, Feb. 7 and Feb. 8, court documents said. In all, they estimated he walked out with $1,762.81 in goods.

The man returned on March 22, and this time store personnel took down the make and model of his vehicle as well as the license plate, court documents said. Armed with that information, officers learned the car was registered to Scotti-Belli’s wife, according to court documents. Comparing photos of Scotti-Belli to the man in the surveillance footage “revealed that the suspect is clearly Brian Scotti-Belli,” court documents said.

If convicted, Scotti-Belli faces up to 10 years in Montana State Prison and a $10,000 fine.

News Editor Derrick Perkins can be reached at 758-4430 or [email protected].