Gage Andrew England is facing several felony charges of theft, burglary, and criminal possession of dangerous drugs after allegedly stealing from the Best Western Heritage Inn hotel in Great Falls.
The theft happened on Friday, December 30. Someone entered the back portion of a service area and stole several pieces of audiovisual equipment valued at about $2,500.
Court documents state that on January 2nd, police officers learned that England had pawned a wireless microphone that had been stolen from the hotel at a pawn shop in downtown Great Falls. He allegedly pawned the item just hours after it had been stolen.
A pawn shop employee described the man who who pawned the microphone, and the description matched the suspect seen on surveillance video when the items were stolen from the hotel.
England is a former employee of the hotel and would have known where the equipment was stored, according to charging documents.
England is charged with felony theft and felony burglary for the incident.
Court documents note that England is also facing charges of partner/family member assault, criminal mischief, and theft in Municipal Court.
The alleged victim in the assault is Cassie Allain; she and England are co-defendants in a separate incident in which both have been charged with criminal possession of meth.
That incident happened on Wednesday, February 15th, when officers were called to a residence on the 1600 block of 8th Avenue North when a property owner suspected that two people were using drugs inside the residence.
When approached by police, England said he needed to clean up the residence before the owner and police could come inside; court documents say that England told them that his girlfriend – Cassie Allain – was naked inside and needed time to get dressed.
England eventually let the officers in, and he stood with them in the living room. Court documents say that "in plain view" on the coffee table was a baggie of what appeared to be meth, and next to it was a glass pipe of the kind commonly used to smoke meth.
England then told police that he did not live in the home and was only there to pick up his car, and reportedly said that he did not even know what meth is.
Court documents then state: "Allain chose that moment to come out of the bathroom and officers noticed she had a tourniquet on her upper arm, which is often used to assist in the injection of methamphetamine and other dangerous drugs.
Both England and Allain have been charged with criminal possession of dangerous drugs.
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