Zaviyar Gilbreath, 21, was charged in late October with two felony counts of assault with a weapon after threatening people with a knife at an Elk Ridge Recovery location in downtown Great Falls.

Around noon on Oct. 9, Great Falls Police officers were dispatched to 11 5th St. N., where Gilbreath was attending class with eight other people in a small room sitting in a circle.

County Commission remands drug rehab facility permit to ZBOA after appeal

Gilbreath got into a verbal argument with an adult male in the group and left the room. He returned with a chef’s knife, holding it up to his head like he was going to stab someone and told the male, “I’m going to stab you,” according to court documents.

Gilbreath then lunged toward the male while he was about five feet away and the male told investigators that he thought he was going to be stabbed.

Another witness said Gilbreath had been swinging the knife wildly and an adult female was in close proximity when he returned to the group with the knife in his hand.

Gilbreath’s criminal history includes a felony theft in 2024, multiple bond revocations, at least four probation violations and an assault, according to court documents.

ZBOA denies drug rehab facility expansion with 3-2 vote

He was on supervision with Montana Adult Probation and Parole at the time of the incident and remains in the Cascade County Adult Detention Center on a $15,000 bond.

Elk Ridge’s downtown facility was issued provisional licensure from the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services on Sept. 4 as an outpatient substance use disorder facility.

The provisional license expires Dec. 31.

Gilbreath is the son of Amanda Gilbreath, who over the summer, spoke during a county commission meeting regarding Elk Ridge Recovery’s residential rehab facility at 2601 Jasper Road, which opened last summer.

During the June hearing, she told commissioners she was a manager at the Jasper Road facility.

An email to the Elk Ridge Recovery email listed on its website requesting confirmation of her employment was returned undelivered as the email address was not found.

In June, Cascade County Commissioners voted unanimously during a special meeting to remand consideration of a special use permit for the drug rehab facility on Jasper Road back to the county zoning board of adjustment.

In April, the ZBOA voted 3-2 to deny a special use permit for the facility to expand from eight to 16 beds.

ZBOA denies drug rehab facility expansion with 3-2 vote

Commissioner Eric Hinebauch moved to remand the SUP application back to ZBOA and wanted a better explanation of water sources for the facility; a timeline and plan for the fire suppression system; emergency and water delivery access addressed; and consider the 12 proposed conditions from the neighborhood and whether there had been consideration of connecting to the city water system.

In September, the ZBOA reconsidered the Elk Ridge request and voted to approve the special use permit to expand from eight to 16 beds. The neighbors submitted a letter asking the board to consider a number of points.

County planning staff recommended approval.

The audio recording of the meeting is not posted on the county website and the board’s October meeting was canceled so official minutes are not yet available.

In October, area residents filed an appeal of the ZBOA’s most recent decision to the county commission.

Quentin Rhoads, counsel for the petitioners, which include a group of residents near the rehab facility, wrote that they are asking the county commission to again review the permit request and:

• reverse the ZBOA’s September approval and deny the proposed increase to 16 beds because the evidence doesn’t support the county’s zoning requirements;
• or “remand for further findings or modify the approval to state enforceable, objectively verifiable conditions appropriate to the evidence,” including water source and delivery plan, consequences for not meeting deadlines, emergency access, parking and other issues
• require the decision to identify the evidence and reasoning supporting each applicable county zoning requirement

The county commission has not yet scheduled a meeting to consider the appeal.