Suspected auto thief caught with wanted man given suspended sentence

Derrick Perkins, Daily Inter Lake, Kalispell, Mont.
·1 min read
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Sep. 1—A woman caught in a stolen car alongside a wanted man earlier this year received a suspended two-year sentence in Flathead County District Court in mid-August.

Judge Amy Eddy handed down the two-year stint with the state Department of Corrections to Amber Michelle Webb, 23, on Aug. 15 for a single count of felony theft. Eddy gave Webb credit for three days of time served and ordered her to pay restitution.

Although Webb pleaded not guilty at her May arraignment, she struck a deal with prosecutors in June. They agreed to recommend the suspected sentence in exchange for her guilty plea.

Flathead County Sheriff's Office deputies arrested Webb after responding to reports of a possibly stolen vehicle in the Coram area about 1 p.m., March 28. Catching up with the vehicle, a Toyota Matrix, near the intersection of Montana 40 and U.S. 2, deputies attempted a traffic stop, court documents said.

Instead of pulling over, the Matrix sped up and headed toward Evergreen, according to court documents. Authorities eventually used what is known as a precision immobilization technique to stop the Toyota as it approached the intersection with Rose Crossing, court documents said.

Deputies found an individual identified as Elliot Thomas Bradley, an escapee of Billings pre-release, behind the wheel, court documents said. Webb allegedly rode as a passenger, but admitted stealing the Toyota from a hotel in Billings.

She said the pair were bound for Idaho, according to court documents.

Webb pleaded guilty to the theft charge on June 6.

News Editor Derrick Perkins can be reached at 758-4430 or dperkins@dailyinterlake.com.