Suspect vanishes in cocaine cloud

The Daily Inter Lake

Man scatters half-pound bag of drugs as he runs

Police are looking for a man who reportedly disappeared in a cloud of cocaine Wednesday evening when officers tried to arrest him.

Members of the drug task force and Adult Probation and Parole arrived at a home, 1435 LaBrant Road near Bigfork to serve an arrest warrant.

Task force leader Kevin Burns said Michael Ray Downing, 27, bolted out of the home when officers arrived. Burns said Downing tore open a half-pound bag of cocaine as he ran, creating "a big cloud of white powder."

Downing ran into thick timber near his residence and vanished. Officers chased him but lost him, Burns said.

They gathered a quarter-pound of cocaine from the ground, Burns said. With the help of Forest Service law-enforcement dogs, a search of the home turned up 4 1/2 pounds of the drug, about $12,000 in cash, scales, marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

Burns said the cocaine is valued at $200,000.

He said no active manhunt is on for Downing, but officers are watching for him. There is a prior warrant for him on charges of manufacturing dangerous drugs.

Another man at the home, Barak Evans, was arrested for allegedly having an ounce of cocaine in his pants.

More arrests are expected, Burns said.