Teens stopped after long chase

Three teen runaways from the Flathead Youth Home were arrested early Friday morning after leading law enforcement officers from three agencies on a pursuit from Kalispell to about 8 miles north of Polson.

The teens, whose names will not be released unless charges are filed, are in custody at the Flathead County youth detention facility.

All three are being held on suspicion of eluding police, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, and as runaways pending action from the Flathead County Attorney's Office and Youth Court.

According to the Kalispell Police Department, the chase began about 12:30 a.m. Friday in a parking lot on U.S. 2 in Evergreen. An officer had followed the teens to the parking lot from Woodland Park Drive after noticing their car still had studded tires and had drifted over the fog line.

The car, a Volkswagen

Jetta, later was reported stolen from outside a bar on U.S. 93 South.

The teens - a 17-year-old boy, a 17-year-old girl and a 16-year-old girl - had been reported as runaways from the Flathead Youth Home on East Oregon Street about 9:30 p.m. Thursday.

The boy is on parole and one of the girls is on probation, according to the Flathead County Sheriff's Office.

The driver, the boy, fled eastbound on U.S. 2 and then southbound on Montana 35 at speeds reaching 90 mph. He swerved into the oncoming lane of traffic and toward pursuing officers to prevent them from passing him.

Sheriff's deputies, who assumed the pursuit from Kalispell police, and troopers with the Montana Highway Patrol continued following the teens on Montana 35 into Lake County.

About 8 miles north of Polson, deputies deployed stop sticks and shredded the car's two front tires. The car finally stopped about two miles later and all three teens were taken into custody without incident about 1:15 a.m.

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