KALISPELL, Mont. (AP) — A 36-year-old man who was arrested after a six-hour standoff at a Kalispell hotel in which he is accused of barricading himself in a bathroom with a 17-year-old boy has been charged with kidnapping and criminal endangerment.
Police say Thomas Mulligan, who was arrested shortly before 5 p.m. Friday after a SWAT team stormed the hotel room, met the teen on the Internet several months ago. They say the two were traveling in a vehicle that was stolen from the boy’s grandmother in Filer, Idaho.
Mulligan is accused of threatening to kill himself and the teen but, despite his claims, police did not find any guns in the room.
Mulligan, who has previous convictions of theft, burglary and kidnapping, was initially being pursued because of an alleged parole violation in Oregon. He has no criminal history in Montana.
