The man accused of shooting up businesses along South Main Street in Kalispell last year received a five-year sentence in Flathead County District Court in August.  

Lewis Anthony Crooks, 27, of Kalispell initially pleaded not guilty to felony counts of criminal endangerment and criminal mischief in connection with the spate of gunfire in the early morning hours of Aug. 26, 2024. But he struck a deal with prosecutors that saw him plead guilty to one count of criminal endangerment in May of this year. 

As part of the agreement, prosecutors sought the dismissal of the criminal mischief charge.   

Judge Dan Wilson, who presided over the case, handed down the five-year sentence to the state Department of Corrections on Aug. 14. 

Crooks earned the charges after departing a downtown veterans organization about 1:27 a.m. and heading up South Main Street, where he opened fire on the downtown businesses, according to court documents. The Kalispell Police Department launched an investigation after employees reported finding a bullet hole in the door of one of the businesses later that morning.  

Similar bullet holes were found in a nearby clothing store and restaurant on the 300 block of South Main Street. Investigators found evidence of additional bullet strikes on businesses along the 200 block as well, court documents said.  

Officials estimated the cost of damages to the businesses at more than $1,500.     

Surveillance footage of the shooting captured a dark colored SUV driving north along the thoroughfare as gunshots rang out. Investigators tracked that vehicle back to the veterans organization, where it was parked before the shooting, court documents said. Witnesses at that organization identified Crooks as the man who got into the SUV, court documents alleged.  

Crooks denied pulling the trigger during a subsequent interview, but investigators searching his apartment found a gun next to his bed, according to court documents. 

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