SHELBY, Montana — A woman previously convicted of human smuggling who later escaped from federal custody has been arrested again, this time for allegedly harboring undocumented immigrants near the U.S.-Canada border in Montana, according to court records.
Kristin Louise Mitchell, also known as Kristin Louise Short, 41, of Shelby, Montana, pleaded not guilty to an indictment charging her with attempted harboring of illegal aliens, according to an April 11 press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Montana.
If convicted, she faces up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.
The case comes amid increased illegal crossings along the U.S. northern border. U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) apprehended 23,721 people who illegally crossed the Canadian border in fiscal year 2024, representing about 1.5% of nationwide Border Patrol apprehensions. This marks a significant increase from 10,021 apprehensions in 2023 and 2,238 in 2022.
In 2025 so far, the Spokane and Havre Sectors patrolled by CBP have seen a jump in what the agency refers to as “encounters.” Back in December, there were 11 recorded encounters, and in January and February of 2025, there were 87 recorded encounters.
Most of these encounters occurred in the Spokane Sector, which includes the mountainous part of western Montana.
The Havre Sector, where Mitchell was apprehended, so far has recorded only 1 encounter in 2025.
Based in Shelby
Shelby sits about 40 miles south of the Canadian border, and Mitchell was arrested near the city of around 3,200 people on March 4.
Toole County Sheriff Tyler Padilla told Cowboy State Daily Monday that Shelby is the last place with services like hotels, gas stations and restaurants before reaching the Sweetgrass–Coutts Border Crossing.
In the months leading up to her arrest, said Padilla, his office received several complaints from neighbors about Mitchell’s small home on 11th Ave.
“They were calling in things like noise complaints,” said Padilla. “Or just notifying deputies that she had a lot of traffic coming and going from her house at all times of day and night. She's lived in that residence for a long enough time that they kind of know who they are, being in a small town.”
Padilla said his deputies also knew Mitchell from past encounters in Shelby, where she possibly worked at the Pizza Hut or as a housekeeper at a local hotel.
Mitchell’s name came up again when on Feb. 21, a white Hyundai Sonata registered to her was stopped by Montana Highway Patrol on I-90 in Billings.
According to an affidavit filed by Border Patrol Agent Adam J. Olson, the vehicle had fictitious Texas temporary tags and was carrying three men: Kledyber Gabriel Diaz-Rivas and Porfirio Alexander Suarez, both of Venezuela, and Carlos Alexis Ponce-Lopez, of Honduras.
At the time of the traffic stop, the driver was cited, and the subjects were released.
A few days later in Shelby on Feb. 25, a Border Patrol Agent ran a vehicle registration check on a temporary Montana tag in Shelby that came back to the same 2008 Hyundai registered to Mitchell.
The Toole County Sheriff's Department advised CBP that neighbors had complained about Mitchell, including the suggestion that she was harboring possible illegal aliens inside her home.
“Mitchell has prior convictions for alien smuggling in California,” according to court documents, including the charge of bringing in an illegal alien for financial gain.
On May 3, 2006, Mitchell — who then went by Kristin Short — "did unlawfully and willfully escape" from a federal facility called "Correctional Alternatives," according to court documents.
A few months later, she was apprehended at the San Ysidro Port of Entry by CPB agents while attempting to gain entry back into the U.S.
Surveillance Operation
Due to Mitchell's previous history and connection to the vehicle stopped in Billings, Border Patrol Agents began to surveil her home.
On March 4, agents observed Mitchell driving the Hyundai with two male subjects who appeared to match two of the three subjects previously encountered by Montana Highway Patrol. When local deputies stopped the vehicle for failing to stop, Mitchell told them that the males with her were political asylees and continued to answer for the men.
All three subjects were transferred to the Sweetgrass Border Patrol Station for further processing.
During this time, agents maintained visual surveillance of Mitchell's residence. A third male subject exited the home and matched the description of the third subject from the earlier traffic stop.
When approached, he identified himself as Carlos Ponce-Lopez and admitted he had been removed before and reentered illegally, according to court documents.
Ponce-Lopez was charged with one count of reentry of removed alien, while Suarez and Diaz-Rivas were each charged with one count of improper entry by alien. All three are scheduled to be deposed on April 18 because it’s unclear if they will be available to testify, should Mitchell’s case go to trial.
Court documents explain, “It is alleged that Mitchell attempted to harbor the three co-defendants in this case,” and that, “The future status of the detained material witnesses is uncertain, an order providing a mechanism to secure their testimony is appropriate.”
David Madison can be reached at david@cowboystatedaily.com.
