Armed man outside Broadwater school's house was violently robbed last year, records show
The now-sentenced robber threatened to send the Hells Angels to kill Metcalf and his mother, according to court records.
Before Gabriel Metcalf was seen in his front yard facing Broadwater Elementary School with a shotgun Friday morning, his mother was assaulted last year, according to court records obtained by the Billings Gazette.
The night of the burglary, Metcalf reported he was asleep in a camper in the backyard of the property when he heard the doorknob of his camper jiggle, according to a Feb. 25, 2025, arrest affidavit. He thought it was his mother at the door who had mumbled something and then went back into the house.
He then heard screaming.
Jares Fence Company work to place tarps along the playground area at Broadwater Elementary School to obscure the view of a neighbor who has been seen carrying a firearm on his neighboring property.
Exiting the camper, he saw his mother pinned down by a burglar in the open back doorway of their house. Metcalf grabbed the burglar, threw her off her mother and restrained the robber until law enforcement arrived.
The Billings Police Department responded shortly after to a report of a burglary located in the 400 block of Broadwater Avenue. Officers arrived and saw Metcalf restraining 43-year-old Michelle Charlie Tibbetts on the ground outside the home.
Tibbetts was trying to assault Metcalf, but was unable because of the restraints, according to the affidavit. Officers subsequently detained Tibbetts in a cop car that night.
The court documents offer additional context as to what might have provoked Metcalf's Friday patrol.
A criminal history
On Monday, Tibbetts was sentenced to five years in prison after taking a guilty plea for aggravated burglary for the invasion at Metcalf’s home. She is currently in custody at Yellowstone County Jail, according to the Montana Department of Corrections. She also admitted to probation violations in July related to the case.
Tibbetts has been sentenced for theft, burglary and criminal mischief in Yellowstone County in the past few years.
Three years ago, defense for Metcalf said in court records he patrolled with a firearm to protect his now 74-year-old mother from a nearby neighbor. Federal prosecutors had described him as extremely paranoid back then and struggling with mental health counseling.
He was given back his shotgun in September 2025 after a successful appeal, though he didn’t have his weapon during Tibbetts' burglary.
His mother testified remotely at sentencing in the Tibbetts burglary case.
Metcalf began patrolling again this year, just as the sentence was about to be administered. Metcalf’s mother currently has a decade-long protection order on Tibbetts. Metcalf's mother said her ribs, head and hips were injured as part of an assault during the burglary by Tibbetts. Tibbetts made death threats to her and her son.
Metcalf declined to speak with the Gazette on the record Tuesday morning. His eyes tracked nearly every vehicle passing his house during an hour-long conversation with a reporter.
The burglary and assault
The affidavit reported that Metcalf’s mother was working in a back bedroom, which had been used as a home office, when she became tired and moved to another part of the house to rest. She heard a noise coming from her home office and when she went to investigate she saw the robber had entered through the backdoor and was attempting to steal her laptop.
The mother confronted Tibbetts, grabbing the laptop and ordering the woman to leave her home. Tibbetts refused and a struggle ensued. Tibbetts eventually assaulted the mother. The mother pushed back, which led to Tibbetts falling on the ground through the backdoor. Tibbetts got back up and the back-and-forth ultimately escalated to when they both fell through the back doorway into a pile of snow, according to the affidavit.
Dr. Erwin Garcia takes questions as school officials and Billings police hold a meeting with parents at Broadwater Elementary after a neighbor stood in his yard with a firearm last week.
Tibbetts landed on top of Metcalf's mother and continued the assault. The victim began screaming for help, which prompted Metcalf’s intervention and restraining of Tibbetts.
“Officers observed security camera footage showing the defendant enter the resident through the home office exterior door,” the affidavit stated. “In addition, officers discovered a purse that was left in the residence. A search of the purse revealed paperwork belonging to the defendant.”
In Metcalf's mother’s April 2025 request for a protection order against Tibbetts, she provided additional details on the home invasion and fuel for the potential current-day concerns of Metcalf.
“In the home she (Tibbetts) said she would have the Hells Angels come kill me,” the mother wrote. “When my son pulled her off me and had her on the ground, she said ‘We know who you are and Hells Angels will come here and kill you and your mother!’”
She said her “anxiety is off the charts."
“I’m 73 years old,” Metcalf’s mother wrote. “This shouldn’t be happening!”