Man pleads innocent to car thefts chase

By NICHOLAS LEDDEN/Daily Inter Lake

A Kalispell man has pleaded innocent to five felonies after allegedly stealing and then crashing two cars last month.

The second crash allegedly occurred while the man was fleeing from police following the burglary of a Woodland Avenue home.

Zachary James Bergman, 19, entered not-guilty pleas to two counts of felony theft, two counts of felony criminal mischief, burglary, misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia, misdemeanor eluding, and misdemeanor reckless driving during his arraignment Thursday in Flathead County District Court.

According to court documents, a black Dodge pickup truck crashed into an unoccupied car parked on the 1200 block of Eighth Avenue East about 11:50 p.m. on Oct. 27. Officers later discovered that the pickup truck had been stolen from a home on Seventh Avenue West, on Kalispells south side.

The driver, described by a witness as a younger man wearing a camouflage coat and black stocking cap, had fled the scene on foot.

An hour later, at 12:45 a.m. Tuesday, a burglary was reported at a Woodland Avenue home just six blocks from where the stolen vehicle had crashed.

The homeowner told police he discovered a young man wearing a camouflage coat and black stocking cap in his attached garage, and that cash had been stolen from a purse on the kitchen counter.

While searching the area for the alleged burglar, police noticed a suspicious vehicle and attempted to pull it over. Prosecutors allege the driver tried to speed away, initiating a pursuit through Kalispell that reached speeds of up to 70 mph.

The driver lost control of the vehicle, a Jeep Liberty later found to be stolen from a Sylvan Drive driveway, and crashed into a fence in the 800 block of Eighth Avenue West.

The driver, wearing a camouflage coat and black stocking cap, fled the wrecked vehicle on foot. Officers from the Kalispell Police Department, Flathead County Sheriffs Office, and Montana Highway Patrol began searching the area on foot.

The driver later identified as Bergman was found hiding under a camp trailer only a few feet from where he was last seen by pursuing officers, investigators said.

Reporter Nicholas Ledden can be reached at 758-4441 or by e-mail at nledden@dailyinterlake.com