High-speed chase across three Montana counties ends in arrest of Great Falls residents

David Murray, Great Falls Tribune
·2 min read
Two Great Falls residents are now in police custody following a high-speed chase that at times reached 120-mph
Two Great Falls residents are now in police custody following a high-speed chase that at times reached 120-mph

Two Great Falls residents are now in police custody following a high-speed chase across three Montana counties that at times reached 120 mph. The chase began before midnight Tuesday in Blaine County and was quickly joined by law enforcement officers from throughout the region, according to the Phillips County Sheriff’s Office.

According to a statement from the sheriff's office, deputies were called for a pursuit on Highway 2 of a vehicle traveling more than 100 mph and suspected of carrying drugs.

Highway 2 is narrow, two-lane road that for long stretches includes no roadway shoulders. Phillips County deputies planned to deploy spike strips near the small rural village of Dodson, population 120, but the wanted vehicle never showed up. Pursuing deputies lost contact with the suspected vehicle.

Law enforcement officers from Blaine County, Fort Belknap, Phillips County, and the FBI searched for the vehicle for roughly four hours without luck. Then, at approximately 4 a.m. Wednesday morning, it was spotted by a Phillips County Deputy near a residence northwest of Dodson.

The Phillips County sheriff, undersheriff, and two deputies along with FBI agents pursued the suspect vehicle east on Highway 2 through Phillips County and into Valley County, when speeds reached 120 mph, where a Valley County deputy was able to spike two of the suspect vehicle’s tires.

After passing the spikes the wanted vehicle continued to drive, heading east on Highway 2 for several more miles before losing control and sliding into a ditch shortly before 5 a.m. After a brief standoff with officers from multiple law enforcement officers, the driver and passenger, both Great Falls residents, surrendered and were taken into custody. The suspects are being held at the Valley County Detention Center in Glasgow and criminal charges are expected to be filed in Blaine, Phillips and Valley counties.

The release did not say whether any drugs were found in the suspect vehicle, but did add there is no further danger to the public.

This article originally appeared on Great Falls Tribune: High speed chase crosses three Montana counties ends in arrest