A Hungry Horse man was sentenced by District Court Judge Paul Sullivan April 16 to 20 years in prison with credit for time served for being the ringleader in a major burglary ring in Flathead County.

Michael Ray Downing, 46, and accomplices stole about $1 million of vehicles and other items over the past few years in Flathead County. He was eventually arrested and charged May 6, 2025 shortly after he allegedly tried to tear a safe out of a house with a chain hooked to a side-by-side up Half Moon Road outside of Columbia Falls.

Flathead County Sheriff Brian Heino at the time said Downing was connected to about 15 burglaries in Flathead County dating back to October, 2024.

Downing made no remarks in his defense. 

Under a plea agreement, Downing pleaded guilty to six counts of a 13-count indictment, which included felony accountability to burglary, burglary, and tampering with a witness. The burglary charges carried a 20-year sentence and the tampering charge a 10-year sentence. The sentences run concurrently.

Deputy County Attorney Larissa Malloy went over line-by-line of restitution Downing would have to pay to various victims when he gets out of prison, one of which was more than $100,000.

Victims included a host of private individuals as well as Glacier Raft Co. and the U.S. Forest Service.

“These burglaries have had a lasting impact on multiple individuals,” noted Malloy.

She rejected a previous claim by Downing that others were actually doing the stealing and he was just storing the goods on his property.

Downing was well-known to veteran law enforcement in the Flathead Valley.

In August 2006 Downing, then 27, earned the nickname “Cocaine Fairy” after he was busted by the Northwest Montana Drug Task Force near Bigfork. When the authorities arrived, Downing fled out the back door as officers came in through the front. Downing tore open a half-pound bag of cocaine as he ran, creating a big cloud of cocaine as he ducked into the woods, thus the moniker.

He escaped that arrest attempt but was captured soon after. Task Force members found more than 4 pounds of cocaine in the home and $12,000 in cash at the time. 

Downing was charged, and ultimately pleaded guilty in federal court, to conspiracy to distribute cocaine in 2007.

He was sentenced to 70 months in prison and five years probation. He violated the terms of his probation in a couple of instances for drinking, according to court records, and wasn’t released from federal probation until 2019.

Judge Sullivan noted that Downing had an extensive previous criminal record and he too, noted the impact of the burglaries.

“I’ve lived here my entire life,” Sullivan remarked. “I’m not aware of an incident that has quite engulfed the community in this way.”

Downing was credited for 346 days of time served, as he has been incarcerated since his arrest last year.