Updated April 8, 2025 with disposition of some cases

Multiple people were charged in July 4 incidents in Cascade County.

Julius Lowe has been charged with a felony count of arson for a July 4 fire at the Grizzly Inn.

At 6:09 p.m. July 4, Great Falls Fire Rescue responded to a fire at the hotel at 1214 13th St. S.

The first engine company arrived at 6:12 p.m. and found hotel occupants evacating and smoke coming from a room where firefighters found a mattress on fire as well as other small fires, according to GFFR.

The fire was contained to the one room but there was minor smoke damage to the first floor hallway.

One hotel occupant was transported to the hospital for smoke inhalation.

Great Falls Police officers responded to the fire around 6:15 p.m.

July 4: photos, GFFR call stats

Lowe told officers that he had an altercation with Hispanic gang members who were turning off the alarms and threatening him so he lit toilet paper on fire to set off the smoke detectors to “override the system,” according to court documents.

Repairs and replacements will cost more than $1,500 and Lowe endangered more than 100 hotel guests and staff, according to court documents.

Lowe has a history of multiple convictions in multiple states, including, providing a false identification to officers, two convictions for attempted murder and misdemeanor battery in California and Nevada. He also has a history of probation and parole violations so the state requested a $40,000 bond, according to court documents.

Lowe died of an overdose in jail, according to county officials.

Michael Alberts was charged with a felony count of criminal endangerment and a misdemeanor count of criminal mischief for a July 4 incident.

Around 7:30 p.m. a Cascade County deputy was dispatched to 1126 Smelter Ave., the Black Eagle Country Club, for a report of two males throwing fireworks at people.

July 4 activities; fireworks rules, safety

Deputies spoke to the property owner who said he’d seen mortar fireworks being thrown from a residence west of his business at 127 11th St. N.E.

The property owner told deputies that they’ve had previous issues with the two males living at that residence.

The Black Eagle Country Club was have a July 4 event a large number of people were in the vicinity, as well as a taco trailer, which children and adults sitting near when the firework exploded, according to court documents.

While speaking with the property owner who made the initial complaint, a deputy heard and saw a large firework explode in the backyard of the residence and an unidentified male patron approached the two men in the yard and began arguing with them, according to court documents.

A deputy approached the two males identified as Charles and Michael Alberts.

Michel Alberts told deputies that he only lit fireworks in his backyard and didn’t throw any over the fence, but his brother later said “something to the effect that [Michael] should not have been shooting fireworks over the fence,” according to court documents.

GFFR responded to seven fireworks calls on July 4 [2023]

Deputies walked to the taco trailer where the firework exploded and saw several burn marks on the trailer’s serving window as well as burn marks to a nearby vehicle plus what appeared to be firework debris on the ground.

The taco trailer owner told deputies that he didn’t see who had thrown the fireworks, but heard them and saw one detonate in front of his trailer.

The taco trailer owner said he supported prosecution for the vandalism, but couldn’t identify suspects. The vehicle owner didn’t want to pursue charges, according to court documents.

Deputies viewed surveillance footage of the incident from the Black Eagle Country Club that showed a large firework detonation in front of the taco trailer near numerous people. Deputies also spoke to two witnesses who identified Michael Alberts as throwing fireworks over the fence toward the bar.

Prosecutors asked the court to set bond at $5,000 “due to the risk to the community posed by the defendant,” who has a prior conviction for felony mischief in 2012 for causing damage to the 10th Street bridge lights, which was deferred and dismissed, according to court documents.

According to the jail roster, Alberts is still in the Cascade County Adult Detention Center on a $1,500 bond sent by a judge.

Mason Shaw was charged with a felony count of assault on a minor and three misdemeanor counts of endangering the welfare of a child.

Great Falls Police officers were working a community concert in downtown when someone approached them stating an intoxicated male was trying to tow three small children in a wagon.

Officers learned the male, later identified as Shaw, 30, was in The Wild Hare attempting to fight people and upon arrival, he was stumbling with glassy eyes and was trying to pull his children in the wagon through the crowd, according to court documents.

The three children were six, four and 18 months old.

Shaw attempted to walk away from officers and as he did so, pulled the wagon off the curb at an angle that caused the wagon to tip and nearly throw the children onto the pavement; but an officer and bystanders grabben the wagon to keep it from overturning, according to court documents.

Officers were concerned about Shaw’s ability to make it safely home with the children and one of the children had fresh bloody scrapes on both his knees.

Officers convinced Shaw to let them walk him and the children home and he stumbled and began walking into the street in front of traffic.

Shaw told officers he was home but then continued walking so officers made contact again and saw Shaw urinating on the street. Officers detained Shaw, asked him for his wife’s phone number and called her to come pick up Shaw and their children.

Officers contacted Det. Sgt. Katie Cunningham and determined to charge Shaw with endangering the welfare of a child for each child since “he violated his duty of care to them by his actions while being too intoxicated to care and protect them,” according to court documents.

Officers attempted to call Shaw’s wife but their calls went to voicemail and she didn’t return calls so officers went to their residence “out of concern given Shaw’s earlier behavior,” according to court documents.

After speaking with Shaw’s wife, she told officers he had bit their four-year-old daughter causing her to cry and the girl told officers that it hurt.

Shaw entered an Alford plea and reached a plea agreement with prosecutors in the case.

In October, a district court judge sentenced him on three misdemeanor counts of endangering the welfare of a child. The judge sentenced him to six months deferred imposition of sentence, the first two to run consecutive and the third to run concurrent with the others. That means he won’t serve that time unless he gets into additional legal trouble.

Shaw got credit for five days already served in jail.

The court also ordered that Shaw obtain a chemical dependency evaluation at his own expense and follow the provider’s recommendations. Under the judge’s conditions, Shaw was to consume no alcohol and was assessed as a moderate risk to reoffend.