The case of a former Columbia Falls man who allegedly threatened to “shoot up” area churches as well as harm his ex-wife is set to go to trial in Flathead County District Court on Monday.   

Jacob Balbas, 35, faces a felony intimidation charge and felony criminal endangerment charge in Flathead County District Court for separate incidents on Nov. 1 and Nov. 2, 2024.   

In the first case on Nov. 1, 2024, he allegedly made violent and vile death text threats against an ex, who was concerned for her safety and her children’s safety, according to a Columbia Falls Police investigation.    

In the second matter on Nov. 2, he allegedly threatened churches.   

“A chaplain had received a report that Balbas was making homicidal statements and was making threats to 'shoot up' churches throughout the Flathead Valley. The chaplain stated that Balbas believed that he died, spoke to God, and has now returned to save the earth,” according to a Columbia Falls police report.    

Police obtained a warrant and searched Balbas’s home, where they allegedly found a “sniper’s nest.”   

“There was an AR15-style rifle lying next to a window, a 60-round, high-capacity magazine inserted into the weapon, and another 60-round magazine next to the rifle, both fully loaded. The blinds were drawn down, approximately six inches from being fully closed and the screen outside the window had been peeled back in the corner which would enable a shooter to put a barrel through the screen and rest the bipod on the sill of the window. The window directly overlooked the single driveway entrance onto the property. The safety on the rifle was positioned on fire,” the police report at the time stated.   

Balbas was initially held on $1 million bail but was later released to the custody of his father, Michael Balbas and apparently underwent mental health treatment in Idaho.   

During a status hearing last week in front of District Court Judge Danni Coffman, Balbas and his counsel moved that his case should be dismissed because he did not receive a speedy trial.   

But after lengthy testimony from Michael Balbas via Zoom and rebuttal from County Attorney Travis Ahner, Coffman rejected that request.   

The day after the hearing, Balbas sent a handwritten complaint he said he wrote to the court and forwarded a copy to the Hungry Horse News via email.   

In the complaint, he makes baseless claims about police sex and drug trafficking. He claimed he was “the beloved disciple of the Lord Jesus and even the spirit of truth promised. Quite frankly you should all be afraid. He left me to stay until he comes back so that the world doesn’t become like Sodom and Gemorrah ...”   

He then goes on to list several Bible verses and asks for $550 million with a note to the newspaper that read, “To be filed soon. Maybe there will be one for you, too.”   

During last week’s hearing, Michael Balbas said his son’s business was ruined by the charges against him, as Jacob was once a ServPro franchise owner in Flathead Valley. He also had to sell his home and someone stole some of the equipment from the business when Jacob Balbas was gone.   

ServPro is a cleanup and restoration service. Michael claimed the business was worth $2.5 million, but Ahner said an independent evaluation found the business to be worth about $262,000.   

Jacob Balbas was employed as an estimator in the restoration field for a time in Idaho, Michael noted, but the company let him go because of the upcoming trial, which kept getting postponed.   

The previous issue was whether Jacob Balbas was fit to stand trial, though his father said he was employable and had been living with him without incident for some time.   

While Balbas also appeared in the hearing, he made no statements in his own defense.