Update 7:55 p.m. Authorities have identified a suspect, Charles Gibson Bailey, 32 of West Yellowstone, in the stalking case that led to a major police presence and road closure in West Yellowstone.
According to an affidavit from a federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agent, Bailey was spotted Monday on surveillance camera spraying an unknown substance on the door of an ex-girlfriend, who had a restraining order against him.
Later that day, Bailey was taken into custody after a federal Forest Service agent noticed a gun in his vehicle and later learned of the protection order, which was prohibited by the order, according to the affidavit.
Agents obtained a search warrant for his vehicle and found six guns, according to the affidavit.
On Friday, Bailey had an initial appearance in Missoula before U.S. Magistrate Jeremiah C. Lynch on a criminal complaint.
Bailey was charged with possession of a firearm by a person who is subject to a court order that restrains such person from harassing, stalking or threatening an intimate partner of such person.
If convicted of the most serious crime, Bailey faces a maximum 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.
WEST YELLOWSTONE – Details remain scant, but the road closed in West Yellowstone on Thursday night during a federal investigation has been reopened, and what’s being called a felony stalking complaint remains under investigation.
According to a press release, teams from multiple agencies that responded to help with a federal investigation in West Yellowstone were released Friday.
This week, the West Yellowstone Police Department investigated a felony stalking complaint.
When the suspect was taken into custody, officers suspected violations under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) were present. The ATF was called in and additional steps had to be taken with suspected hazardous materials in a local residence.
Numerous other agencies were called in to assist ATF, West Yellowstone PD and Hebgen Basin Fire District as part of the investigation on the 500 block of Firehole Avenue in West Yellowstone on Thursday and Friday.
During the course of the investigation, Firehole Avenue was closed between Geyser Street and Hayden Street to facilitate parking for the agencies’ vehicles. The street was reopened to the public on Friday morning. There continues to be no threat to public safety at this time.
Agencies that assisted as part of the investigation included the Bozeman Fire Regional Hazmat Team, the Lewis and Clark County Bomb Squad, the 83rd Civil Support Team, Gallatin County Emergency Management, the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office, Yellowstone National Park rangers and U.S. Forest Service law enforcement.
The incident remains under investigation by the ATF.
