Buckaroo Bennie Gardner lassoed by local law enforcement after manhunt

A wanted Kalispell man was pulled out of an area swamp and arrested Thursday following a manhunt involving state and local law enforcement with assistance from Two Bear Air.

Buckaroo Bennie Gardner, 42, is being held in the county jail on pending felony charges of criminal endangerment and criminal mischief, as well as misdemeanor counts of eluding and resisting arrest. Bail was set at $120,000.

In a press release announcing his capture, Flathead County Sheriff Brian Heino described Gardner, who is the defendant in a felony theft case in Flathead County District Court, as having “a lengthy criminal history.”

Officials said Gardner was spotted in a vehicle on Conrad Drive in Kalispell. When deputies approached him, he fled east, driving through farmland. While evading law enforcement, Gardner allegedly veered off of Steel Bridge Road, damaging crops and private property.

When his car broke down near Montford Road, he fled on foot, officials said. Working with Montana Highway Patrol, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and the Forest Service — complete with air support from Two Bear Air — deputies tracked Gardner to a nearby swamp. Officials said he hid in an abandoned duck blind, submerging himself in water and taking advantage of thick vegetation.

Heino credited Audie, a K-9, with playing a role in the capture. Gardner, according to Heino, called Audie “a really good dog” during his arrest.

He was expected to appear back in court on July 22.

Gardner’s ongoing felony case stems from the alleged theft of a log splitter from a local ranch and home supply store in 2021. A review of surveillance footage at the store showed a man coming onto the property about 1 a.m., May 26 and taking the splitter, which was valued at $2,499.

Investigators later met with a man who bought the splitter for $1,000, court documents said. He allegedly named Gardner as the seller.

Gardner was expected to be arraigned on the felony theft charge in May of this year but failed to show up. Judge Robert Allison subsequently issued a bench warrant for Gardner’s arrest. Court documents indicate that Gardner simultaneously had an outstanding probation violation out of Missoula County.

In 2014, Gardner was sentenced to 10 years, all suspended, with the state Department of Corrections after pleading guilty to accountability to burglary. He also picked up five years with the Department of Corrections for a probation violation.

That probation stemmed from a three year deferred sentence in 2011, which Gardner received after pleading no contest to felony theft.

In 2008, Gardner was sentenced on an amended charge of misdemeanor criminal mischief and given six months, all suspended, in county jail.