Great Falls Gun Store Owner Reportedly Misses Sentencing

Great Falls Gun Store Owner Misses Sentencing, Arrest Warrant Issued

Do you remember three years ago when Great Falls was suddenly thrust into the national spotlight after the IRS raided a local gun store?

That store was Highwood Creek Outfitters, owned by Tommy Michael VanHoose. Now, VanHoose has reportedly failed to appear for his October sentencing hearing in federal court after pleading guilty to felony tax fraud.

The 2023 IRS Raid At Highwood Creek Outfitters

U.S. District Court Judge Brian Morris issued an arrest warrant on the afternoon of Oct. 8 after VanHoose failed to show up for his hearing.

VanHoose made national headlines in June 2023 when IRS agents raided Highwood Creek Outfitters in Great Falls, Montana. The raid sparked plenty of reaction, including criticism from Montana's two U.S. senators at the time, Steve Daines and Jon Tester. Then-state Rep. Matt Rosendale also weighed in, falsely claiming the seized documents contained no financial information.

Those documents, investigators say, helped uncover a separate financial issue.

According to court records, VanHoose underreported about $1.4 million in income over five years and owed more than $442,000 in unpaid taxes. He pleaded guilty last October to one count of filing a false tax return after initially facing five counts.

And the tax case isn't the only concern involving VanHoose's financial records.

Nick Northern TSM-GF//Canva

Potential Buyer Raises Questions About Highwood Creek Outfitters' Finances

David Bissell, the owner of Cascade Ballistics in Cascade, was interested in buying Highwood Creek Outfitters. He says the profit-and-loss statements VanHoose provided him also reflected the same underreported income involved in the tax fraud case.

It's important to point out that Bissell's claims haven't been independently established in the case. However, he did submit a letter to the court raising concerns about those financial records.

If you haven't been following the case, VanHoose's sentencing hearing had already been delayed several times while he underwent treatment for melanoma.

As of publication, VanHoose's whereabouts are unknown. Check out the full story from the Montana Free Press here.