A Columbia Falls man accused of attempting to kidnap a woman at a Flathead Valley gas station in December 2025 was released from county jail last month after pleading guilty by reason of mental disease or disorder.  

Gerald Schuhmacher, 64, was released from custody Aug. 24 after accepting a plea deal in which he agreed to cop to the felony attempted kidnapping charge.  

Under the agreement filed in Flathead County District Court on Aug. 6, Schuhmacher's attorney is recommending 10 years to the Department of Public Health and Human Services, with the entire sentence suspended. The deal leaves prosecutors free to argue for a tougher sentence. 

Schuhmacher at the time of the alleged offense was experiencing a severe manic episode — including hallucinations and delusions— related to bipolar 1 disorder after abruptly stopping his psychiatric medication, according to the agreement. 

"During this time, he was disoriented to time, place and situation, and was operating under profound delusional premises" and lacked the cognitive capacity to understand the nature and criminality of his conduct, court documents said.  

Schuhmacher was originally scheduled to be arraigned in December but it was postponed after his attorney, William Managhan, asked Judge Dan Wilson for a delay. Managhan feared that Schuhmacher would pose a danger to himself and detention center staff if forced to come to court.  

Schuhmacher was arraigned in April and initially maintained his innocence. 

His sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 5. 

SCHUHMACHER ATTEMPTED to kidnap a woman waiting for a friend in her parked car at a store off Montana 35 on the night of Dec. 11, 2025, court documents said.  

Schuhmacher parked next to her, spoke with her through their open car windows, gave her a few rocks and asked her to marry him.  

Schuhmacher drove away before allegedly returning on foot and struck the woman's vehicle. After she rolled her window down slightly, Schuhmacher reportedly asked, "Are you going to come home with me?"  

She refused and Schuhmacher allegedly pulled the partially open window toward himself, breaking it. Then he reached into the car and tried to open the door, according to court documents.  

Schuhmacher allegedly pulled at her face and hair and ripped off the windshield wiper control arm during the ensuing struggle. 

The woman reported that she bit Schuhmacher's arm, peeled his hands off the steering wheel and drove forward while he was still hanging on the window.  

After she left the parking lot and headed south on Montana 35, the woman reported seeing headlights from Schuhmacher's vehicle behind her. She shut her own lights off and turned off the highway to call 911 at about 11 p.m., court documents said.  

The woman told authorities that she might have had glass in her in her hand from the broken window and was in pain from being grabbed and pulled. Blood was found on the woman's dashboard, the driver's side mirror and hood, according to court documents.  

A Flathead County Sheriff's Office deputy spotted a vehicle matching a surveillance photo of the red, single cab pickup truck parked outside a Montana 206 home on Dec. 15. Authorities contacted Schucmacher, who allegedly struggled with them before a deputy deployed a Taser on him.  

Schuhmacher, who sported cuts and scratches on his hands and arms, later told detectives that he had been at the store, according to court documents. He allegedly told detectives he had grown angry because the woman wouldn't listen and indicated that he wanted her to come to his house.  

Reporter Jack Underhill can be reached at 406-758-4407 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.