Man charged in burglaries, assaults on elderly in their Duluth homes

DULUTH – A Duluth man accused of violent home invasions targeting seniors on consecutive days last week was charged with five felonies Tuesday morning in St. Louis County court.

Jeffrey Scott Montana, 58, has been charged with crimes ranging from burglary to kidnapping and assault for a three-day spree that ended when he was arrested midday Thursday at the Duluth Transportation Center, where police found him via cellphone data.

The case will be handled by Itasca County because of a conflict with the local county attorney’s office. Montana, who has also used the name Jeffrey Scott Undahl and has a history of similar crimes, is housed at the St. Louis County jail.

According to court documents, a man matching Montana’s description entered a house on W. Kent Road just before 7 p.m. Thursday. He knocked an 80-year-old man to the ground, flashed a firearm and asked for money. The following day, Montana is accused of knocking on the door of a home on Vermilion Road, asking an 85-year-old man for a piece of paper and then striking him over the head with a club. The suspect forced the victim and an 80-year-old woman into the basement, then hit both with the club.

In both cases, the victims were taken to a local hospital for their injuries.

The accused was thwarted on the third day near the 2500 block of E. Second Street. Several people called 911 to report that a 70-year-old woman was outside yelling for help. She had encountered a man in black clothing and a ski mask standing in the entryway to her living room. He demanded her purse. She was injured when she ran out her front door and down the stairs.

Duluth police used surveillance video and cellphone data to to place Montana at the scene of the three home invasions, then the downtown transportation center. They found a Beretta air pistol at his apartment that matched the description of a weapon given by the first victim.

According to court documents, Montana was released from a Minnesota Department of Corrections within the past three months.

Montana has a lengthy criminal record, including a 2013 case where he was accused of punching an 84-year-old woman in the face, stealing her money and then fleeing, according to the Superior (Wis.) Telegram.