Suspect in chase arrested

The Daily Inter Lake

A 27-year-old man was arrested early Thursday morning after allegedly leading law-enforcement officers on a high-speed pursuit northwest of Kalispell.

Jeremy Dante Howard of Kalispell is being held in the Flathead County Detention Center on suspicion of felony criminal endangerment pending charges from the Flathead County Attorney's Office.

According to the Montana Highway Patrol, troopers responded to Farm To Market Road at about 10 p.m. Wednesday to investigate reports of two cars racing.

When a trooper neared the scene at about 10:45 p.m., one of the vehicles - a silver Mitsubishi with California plates - fled northbound on Farm To Market Road at speeds as high as 140 mph, said patrol Sgt. Steve Lavin. The second vehicle, thought to be a smaller sport utility vehicle, never was located.

The trooper, who unable to match the fleeing car's speed and initiate a pursuit, lost the suspect near the Ray Kuhns Wildlife Management Area. However, the driver - later identified as Howard - apparently circled back to the east and south.

Howard's car was again spotted westbound on Church Drive and the trooper, who by this time had been joined by Flathead County Sheriff Mike Meehan, gave chase at speeds that reached 80 mph.

"It was quick," Meehan said Thursday morning. "It was real quick."

Officers pursued the vehicle from Church Drive southbound onto Bald Rock Road, where Howard rolled the car at the Rhodes Draw intersection. Speed and road conditions were a factor in the crash, Lavin said.

Officers encountered sparse traffic and maintained manageable speeds during the pursuit, Lavin said.

Before his arrest, Howard was taken to Kalispell Regional Medical Center where he was treated for non-life-threatening injuries, including an injured back and minor cuts and bruises. A passenger in Howard's car was not injured.

The Highway Patrol will recommend that prosecutors also charge Howard with driving without insurance, driving on a suspended license, and driving without a seat belt, Lavin said.

What prompted Howard, who was also jailed on a misdemeanor warrant out of Lewis and Clark County, to flee from law enforcement is under investigation.