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Flathead sheriff

| March 2, 2009 1:00 AM

The Flathead County Sheriff's Office is investigating the Saturday afternoon death of man driving a pickup on U.S. 2 in Columbia Heights. An autopsy is scheduled for today at the Montana State Crime Lab. The deceased man's name was not released Sunday, pending notification of his family.

The death occurred shortly after 4:30 p.m. Saturday when a Montana Highway Patrol officer signaled the pickup to pull over. As the truck pulled off the road, the trooper saw the driver pull a rifle from the back window area. The truck then traveled across a field before hitting a fence, which stopped it.

The trooper called for backup after watched the driver slump over in his seat and out of sight. The Flathead County SWAT team and Kalispell's armored vehicle responded, and found the driver dead in the front seat.

Additional details were not available Sunday, including whether any shots were fired or heard.

Also this past weekend. a county vehicle was damaged early Saturday evening.

Vandalism was reported on Spotted Bear Road on Saturday evening.

A deer fell through the ice at Bigfork on Sunday afternoon.

Sheriff's dispatchers logged 148 calls from 3:30 p.m. Saturday to 3:30 p.m. Sunday.

Kalispell police

A counterfeit $20 bill was passed at a U.S. 93 North business Saturday afternoon, the Kalispell police reported.

Police arrested a 30-year-old man on suspicion of disorderly conduct at a U.S. 2 West business early Saturday evening.

A .22-caliber handgun was found at a U.S. 93 North business Saturday evening.

A bag was stolen from a local gym early Sunday morning.

Pain pills were stolen from a southern Kalispell motel early Sunday morning.

Police arrested a 28-year-old woman on suspicion of drunken driving, having no insurance and running a stop sign at First Avenue West and Eighth Street West.

Police helped sheriff's deputies make an arrest on First Avenue West early Sunday morning.

Police logged 63 calls from 3:30 p.m. Saturday to 3:30 p.m. Sunday.

Whitefish police

Whitefish police arrested a 40-year-old man on suspicion of assault and orderly conduct, and a 39-year-old man on suspicion of drunken driving, driving with a suspended license and disorderly conduct in the same early Sunday morning incident on East Lakeshore Drive.

Police logged 28 calls from 3:30 p.m. Saturday to 3:30 p.m. Sunday.

Columbia Falls police

Columbia Falls police logged nine calls from 3:30 p.m. Saturday to 3:30 p.m. Sunday.

Alarms

The Alert helicopter and the Big Mountain Fire Department responded to a man crashing into a tree on Big Mountain Road on Sunday afternoon. No information was available on whether the man was driving a vehicle that did the crashing.

The Whitefish Fire Department responded to a vehicle accident on U.S. 93 North on Saturday evening.

The South Kalispell Fire Department responded to a fire on Caroline Road early Saturday evening.