Near the edge of Anaconda along Montana Highway 1, residents say lawn mowers are about as disruptive as it gets, but all that changed after a weeklong manhunt brought helicopters and hundreds of police officers to the area in search of the suspect in an Anaconda bar shooting that took the lives of four people.
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Suspect Michael Brown was arrested in an area where thick brush lines the road, and properties in the area enjoy ample space between residences.
Authorities announced they arrested Brown near a structure on one of the properties on August 8th.
"In full transparency, for myself and many of us involved in this, this isn't the end. This is the beginning," said Anaconda-Deer Lodge County Attorney Morgan Smith said during a news conference on August 8.
She noted, "With the relief that comes today, I know that tomorrow will bring many questions. The manhunt has come to an end but the homicide investigation remains ongoing."
Brown is currently being held in the Butte-Silver Bow County jail. He made an initial appearance via Zoom on August 11.
A $2 million bond was set, but charges were not stated, and no date was set for his next court appearance.
RAW VIDEO - BROWN MAKES COURT APPEARANCE:
Meanwhile, residents in the area of Highway 1 and Stumptown Road say that they’re just trying to get back to a sense of normalcy.
"It’s pretty quiet. This is about as active as it gets -- the lawnmower going," says San Sorum. He lives just two doors down from the property where authorities arrested Brown near a camper trailer on private property.
After police searched the area by air and on the ground, and sirens rang out repeatedly over the weeklong manhunt, Sorum says he's still not at ease.
"A little bit relieved but still not quite, not quite relaxed yet," says Sorum.
He says he’s not sure why it took seven days to apprehend Brown, but he could see how someone could avoid detection in the dense underbrush and hundreds of sheds and out-buildings located on private property in the area.
"It’s pretty easy to duck in and out of everything here. Just the guy was probably half smart. He might have been out of his head, but I still think he knew what to do," says Sorum.
He gestures to the south and lists off sheds and trailers on his property and others in the neighborhood. He says throughout the search, officers did not stop to ask questions or relay safety information to residents living between Stumptown Road and Highway 1.
"I just wish somebody would’ve come and knocked on the door so they coulda said, 'Hey, we’re looking for him pretty close here, so keep an eye out.” Nobody ever stopped, so..." says Dan with a little shrug.
OVERVIEW
- WHAT: A man shot a bartender and three customers; all four died
- WHERE: The Owl Bar in Anaconda
- WHEN: At about 10:30 a.m. on Friday, August 1
- SUSPECT: 45-year-old Michael Brown of Anaconda
- VICTIMS: Nancy Kelley, 64; Daniel Baillie, 59; David Leach, 70; Tony Palm, 74
- MOTIVE: Unknown
- STATUS: Brown was arrested on Friday, August 8
At this point, authorities do not know of any specific motive for the shootings.
Clare Boyle, the niece of Brown, said last week that she and her family are heartbroken over the situation and the four lives that were lost.
Boyle said, “My heart breaks for this town. There is no amount of apology or words that could ever describe how sorry I am and how I feel for these families, my own included.”
She said that Brown suffered from significant mental health challenges, including schizophrenia and PTSD.
