East Helena High School Arrest Finds Stolen Gun, Drugs, Burglary Items

Increased law enforcement presence at East Helena High School followed an arrest after a student reported a suspicious man going through vehicles in the school parking lot. The school resource officer detained the man and identified him as Seth Thomas Anderson, the Lewis and Clark County Sheriff’s Office said.

Because Anderson was on conditional release, deputies obtained permission to search his vehicle. Inside they found a firearm reported stolen from Broadwater County, suspected drugs, and items that may be linked to a Jan. 3, 2026 burglary at the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks building on Custer Ave. in Helena. The sheriff’s office said no one was injured during the incident and Anderson was arrested.

The Montana Department of Corrections records show Seth Thomas Anderson has prior convictions and served time for criminal possession of dangerous drugs and deceptive practices. The sheriff’s office also said Anderson has had multiple past interactions with area law enforcement, a detail that factors into local concerns about repeat offenders and supervision on conditional release.

For parents, students and school staff, the arrest underscores the role of the school resource officer in spotting and de-escalating potential threats on campus. The prompt report from a student and the swift response by the SRO likely prevented escalation and removed a weapon from the school environment. East Helena High School remained a focus of police activity while deputies processed the scene.

The recovery of a gun stolen from another county highlights cross-jurisdictional crime patterns that affect Lewis and Clark County. Items possibly linked to the Jan. 3 burglary at the Fish, Wildlife and Parks building on Custer Ave. suggest ongoing investigations that span city and county lines. Coordination between the sheriff’s office, Montana Department of Corrections and other agencies will be important as investigators determine the full scope of Anderson’s activities and whether additional charges will follow.

This incident renews local policy questions about conditional release monitoring and the resources available for supervising people with drug-related convictions. It also illustrates how routine vigilance by students and on-campus officers can intersect with broader public-safety challenges, from stolen firearms to property crime.

Investigators will continue processing evidence and working with Broadwater County and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks to resolve outstanding leads. For residents, the immediate takeaway is that timely reporting and the SRO presence helped avert a worse outcome, and that officials are pursuing the cross-county links revealed by the vehicle search. Expect updates as the sheriff’s office releases further information and charges are filed.