Polson man who drove into neighbor’s house to face trial

Paul Ailport, 65, faces charges of attempted homicide, arson and criminal mischief stemming from a years-long feud with the Schiele family in a rural Mission Valley neighborhood near Polson.

The Schieles, who lived next door, described Ailport’s years-long assault saga leading up to the morning he drove his truck into their home in an article published by the Missoulian in February.

Ailport and his wife moved to the rural neighborhood between late 2021 and early 2022, the Schieles said. Things were normal until Ailport began moving his 30- to 40-vehicle automobile business onto the property.

Ron Schiele, the family’s father, said Ailport was suspicious of them and would call law enforcement, accusing them of theft and trespassing.

In August 2022, Ailport drove his truck and trailer into the grass on his neighbors’ property. The family said Ailport brandished a gun and told the father, Ron, that it was time to “fix this.”

In June 2023, Ailport allegedly told another neighbor, Shawn Blixt, that he suspected Ron and other neighbors of having an affair with his wife, which the neighbors strongly deny.

Blixt said Ailport planned to take revenge on the families.

“He told me he was going to kill Ron, our other neighbor and then his wife,” Blixt told the Missoulian in February, adding that Ailport asked which room Ron lived in.

A month later, police went to Ailport’s home, where he allegedly aimed and shot his neighbors with a rifle. Ailport was arrested and charged with possession of dangerous drugs and criminal endangerment with a dangerous weapon.

Nonetheless, Ailport was released about 10 hours after the incident, subject to a court-imposed restraining order and a requirement not to use drugs.

“My confidence in this whole system is zero,” Ron Schiele told the Missoulian in February. “So if you ever have a problem, don’t count on someone to come and help you. They will appear afterwards.

On November 10, 2023, Ailport can be seen on security camera video driving his truck, filled with explosive fireworks and gasoline, into the Schiele home. The incident nearly killed a family member, who was inches away from being hit by a railroad tie attached to the top of the truck.

Afterward, the Schiele family pulled Ailport out of their truck, now inside their home, as it caught fire.

“The defendant, Paul Glen Ailport, lit his pickup truck on fire, drove it into his neighbor’s house, set the house on fire, and threw a 300-pound steel beam from the truck through the bathroom wall,” charging documents state. “It came to rest after skewering an adjacent wall and narrowly missing the head of a teenage girl who was about to enter the bathtub.”

Ailport was treated for serious burns at a Salt Lake City hospital and then taken to Montana State Hospital for a mental health evaluation. Since then, Ailport has been held primarily in solitary confinement at the Lake County Jail.

State prosecutors argue that Ailport’s alleged methamphetamine use was the main reason for the attack on his neighbors, while defense attorneys argue that Ailport suffers from a mental illness or disorder, according to court documents.

“The evidence of the defendant’s use of methamphetamine at the time he committed the offenses is relevant because it explains the defendant’s behavior and delusions and refutes the defense’s allegation of mental illness or disorder.” , wrote the prosecution’s lawyers.

Much of Ailport’s medical records remain under court seal.

Missoula District Court Judge John Larson is presiding over the case.

Ailport pleaded not guilty to the charges he faces on December 6. If convicted, he could be sentenced to life in prison.

Assistant Lake County Prosecutor Brendan McQuillan told the Missoulian in an email that a scheduling conflict with another jury trial could delay Ailport’s final hearings, even if the case proceeds as scheduled Monday.

Ailport also has a second case against him relating to a firearm incident that occurred in July 2023, which is scheduled to go to trial on January 13.