A gun-toting man allegedly forced his way into a Lakeside home last month, sending the family inside scrambling for safety.  

Matthew Leonard Denison, 46, of Kalispell faces a felony charge of criminal endangerment and misdemeanor counts of criminal trespass to property and criminal mischief in Flathead County District Court in the wake of the alleged July 13 home invasion. Denison remains in the county jail with bail set at $75,000.  

One of the people inside the Bierney Creek Road home told authorities that he heard what sounded like gunshots outside the house. Investigating the noise, the man saw Denison armed with an AR-style gun and the glass on his front door shattered, according to court documents.  

The man headed upstairs to grab his gun and phone 911, but by then Denison had gotten into the upstairs bedroom, court documents said. The man's wife, who was in the bedroom during the break-in, retreated to a nearby bedroom. She later told investigators that she heard Denison say something about being chased by other people.  

The couple's daughter and grandson, meanwhile, had locked themselves in the basement. The daughter told the authorities she heard loud stomping noises and a voice she didn't recognize, according to court documents.  

Responding Flathead County Sheriff's Office deputies found the front door to the home broken open and ordered the intruder to come out. Denison exited from a second-floor balcony and surrendered to the deputies, court documents. 

Described as "obviously intoxicated" by the authorities, Denison was armed with a Ruger-made AR-style gun and a Ruger .44-caliber revolver, court documents said. 

Investigators later spoke with a neighbor, who also reported hearing gunfire. Checking his home, the neighbor described finding what looked like a bullet hole on the northeast corner of his home. Investigators later recovered a projectile in a bag inside the neighbor's home, court documents said. They also found a discarded machete in a creek bed on the property.  

During a subsequent search of the area on July 31, investigators found a shell casing on the property where the home invasion occurred, court documents said.  

If convicted of felony criminal endangerment, the more serious of the charges, Denison faces up to 10 years in Montana State Prison and a $50,000 fine.