Escapee arrested after chase

The Daily Inter Lake

A Flathead County man who walked away from the pre-release center in Missoula was arrested early Tuesday after a vehicle crash and foot pursuit southwest of Kalispell.

Casey R. McCorkle, 24, is being held in the Flathead County Detention Center on a warrant for felony escape.

He also is facing charges for resisting arrest, eluding police, obstructing an officer, driving on an invalid license, driving without insurance, and a stop-sign violation.

According to investigators, McCorkle fled from Kalispell police about 3:30 a.m. after giving a false name during a traffic stop near the intersection of U.S. 2 and Meridian Road.

Officers initiated a pursuit that left the city limits and continued southbound on Foy's Lake Road.

McCorkle turned off onto Patrick Creek Road and crashed his green 1996 Ford Explorer while attempting to navigate an unimproved roadway.

He fled on foot.

Flathead County Sheriff's deputies arrived shortly after Kalispell police found the abandoned vehicle. Officers began a foot search over mountainous terrain in the dark, tracking McCorkle's footprints in the snow.

He was taken into custody about 4:15 a.m.

McCorkle was treated for self-inflicted cuts, which investigators believe were made sometime after the initial traffic stop, and injuries suffered in the crash.

McCorkle was incarcerated in May 2008 after a conviction in Flathead County for writing bad checks and a conviction in Lake County for criminal mischief.