A 25-year-old caught with a reportedly stolen car in Columbia Falls last year pleaded not guilty earlier this month to a felony count of theft.  

Cody William Heffner, described as a transient in court documents, appeared before Judge Danni Coffman in Flathead County District Court on Jan. 8 for his arraignment. An omnibus hearing in the case is scheduled for April 10 and Heffner is expected back in court for a pretrial conference on May 4.  

The owner of the 2015 Honda Civic reported it stolen from a paint store on U.S. 2 East in Kalispell on Oct. 9, according to court documents. The vehicle vanished sometime between 6 p.m., Oct. 8 and 6 a.m., Oct. 9.  

Surveillance footage given to the Flathead County Sheriff's Office captured a man enter the Civic through an unlocked passenger door and driving off. Investigators believed the thief used a key that had been left in the glove compartment, court documents said.  

An off-duty deputy spotted what they described as a suspicious vehicle on Reeds Lane in Columbia Falls about 5:43 p.m., Oct. 13. A Honda Civic, the vehicle sported a multicolored paint job, court documents said.  

The deputy passed the license plate number to dispatchers, who confirmed the Civic was reported as stolen. Meanwhile, a man who had been standing nearby hopped into the car and drove off, court documents said.  

Columbia Falls Police officers found the Honda Civic parked outside a hardware store about 6:37 p.m. They recognized a nearby man as Heffner, court documents said.  

Officers arrested Heffner on separate charges, including the theft of paint from the hardware store, court documents said. Then deputies interviewed him about the stolen Honda Civic.  

Heffner told authorities that he had heard from a friend about a cheap car three days earlier, according to court documents. He allegedly said he met with the friend and traded a dirt bike for the Honda Civic and a bill of sale.  

He told deputies he had been sanding paint off of it to restore the original color, according to court documents.  

During a subsequent search of the vehicle with the victim, deputies allegedly found paperwork belonging to Heffner and methadone prescribed to him. They did not find a bill of sale, court documents said.  

If convicted, Heffner faces up to 10 years in Montana State Prison and a $50,000 fine. 

News Editor Derrick Perkins can be reached at 758-4430 or [email protected].