Libby man gets prison time for standoff incident

A Libby resident involved in a standoff with law officers earlier this year was sentenced to prison Monday in Lincoln County District Court.

Chase Austin Butala, 36, who remains in the Lincoln County Detention Center on $100,000 bail, pleaded guilty to an amended charge of criminal endangerment in front of District Judge Matt Cuffe on Monday, Oct. 30.

Butala was initially accused of assault with a weapon and two counts of partner or family member assault, causing bodily injury.

Butala, originally from California, according to a court filing, received a 7-year sentence, with five suspended, on Dec. 18. 

County Attorney Marcia Boris said Butala should receive credit for serving 212 days in the county jail and that he be recommended for chemical dependency treatment.

According to public defender Ben Kolter, Butala won't have trouble paying any fines or fees.

According to the probable cause statement by Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office Detective David Hall, a teenager called 911 to report a drunk man had beaten his friend’s mother. He said he was hiding because he thought the drunk man, Butala, might have a gun. The teen also told the dispatcher that people were fighting, jumping out windows and running. He also said the woman was messed up.

Det. Hall wrote that officers learned the residence on Washington Avenue belonged to Butala who was in a relationship with the victim. Her two children also lived in the home.

When deputies Derek Breiland, Anthony Jenson and Brandon Huff responded to the scene there were 10 juveniles running around on the scene. One witness said she was downstairs when she heard Butala yell at the woman, asking if she wanted him to hit her like a man. She then said she heard a noise she described as a thud. After Butala left the bedroom, the witness checked on the woman who appeared to have an injury on her face. The woman reportedly told the witness she was not alright and her head hurt.

The alleged victim’s son told officers they were hanging out when someone came outside and told the others that Butala had assaulted the woman. Butala came out of the house and was confronted by the teen and they got into a physical altercation. Other juveniles joined in the altercation. Butala allegedly told the teen he was going to kill him. The teen got up, fled the scene and said both Butala and the woman were highly intoxicated and would not likely come out to speak to law officers.

According to Hall’s report, Butala went back inside the residence and got a weapon. Some juveniles described the weapon as a shotgun with a short barrel while others said it was a crowbar. Butala allegedly began chasing people out of the residence with his weapon.

About four juveniles said they went to the bedroom to check on the woman and said she appeared to have an injury to her face. After a few minutes the kids yelled that Butala was chasing other kids around with a weapon. The woman then left the bedroom to try and stop Butala, according to Hall’s report. The remaining juveniles tried locking themselves in the bedroom, but eventually Butala got into the room and the kids fled through a bedroom window.

Det. Hall wrote that Butala and the woman had dated and lived together at the Washington Avenue residence since at least November 2022. Law officers have had numerous contacts with Butala and the woman and know they are in a relationship.

After all the juveniles were out of the home and Lincoln County officers had no success communicating with Butala or the woman, they requested the assistance of the Flathead County SWAT team.

After hours of no communication and all attempts exhausted, the SWAT team forced entry into the residence, Butala was arrested and the woman was detained.

Hall, who got a search warrant for the home, reported that he photographed the residence and saw multiple empty alcohol cans and bottles around the yard. He also reported recovering unspent shotgun shells around the home and in the front yard. A crowbar was recovered from a crawl space in the basement.

Hall also reported finding a short single barrel shotgun with a pistol group that had been thrown or placed under a toolbox in the garage. It was seized and photographed.

After Butala was read his rights, he reportedly said he was in a relationship with the woman and her two children lived with them. He allegedly admitted he and the woman argued, which then turned into a physical altercation with her son. Butala allegedly said he got the shotgun and chased everyone away from the home. When Det. Hall showed a photograph of the gun to the defendant, he allegedly admitted the shotgun belonged to him.