A Kalispell man allegedly stole tools from inside a home undergoing renovation through a public school program in December and later tried to pawn them at an Idaho Street shop.  

Gregory Holm, 40, faces a felony burglary charge in Flathead County District Court in connection with the Dec. 19 break-in on North Ridge Drive. Held in the county jail with bail set at $35,000, Holm is expected to appear before Judge Amy Eddy on Jan. 22 for arraignment.  

Authorities began investigating the burglary after a member of Kalispell Public Schools' homebuilding program arrived at the construction site on Dec. 20 to discover tools needed for that day's work had gone missing, according to court documents. The items, some owned by the individual who reported the theft and others by the school district, included a set of Occidental tools valued at $350, a Makita radio with a battery valued at $399 and four Makita sheet rock guns valued at about $159 each.  

Neighbors provided Kalispell Police officers with surveillance footage that caught a black four-door pickup arrive at the site about 4:41 p.m., Dec. 19. A few minutes later, an individual clad in all black was shown walking to the back of the home, court documents said. The individual returned to the truck carrying a bag of tools and a ladder at about 4:58 p.m. before driving off.  

Officers later found tools matching those reported stolen on a pawnshop website, according to court documents. Speaking with the manager, officers learned that a Tristan Holm had pawned the tools, which had been marred to remove any markings denoting ownership. They also discovered that Tristan Holm owned a black Ford F-150, court documents said.  

Officers returned to the Idaho Street pawnshop on Dec. 24 for a fraud complaint. The manager told investigators that Gregory Holm was attempting to pawn items while posing as Tristan Holm, court documents alleged.  

Confronted, Gregory Holm allegedly admitted stealing tools from three construction sites in the prior month and pawned them while posing as his brother, Tristan Holm. 

Gregory Holm, who is awaiting sentencing in a separate drunk driving case in district court, faces up to 20 years behind bars and a $50,000 fine if convicted of the burglary charge. 

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