Stabbing incident during wild ride, chase nets man five-year term
A man who stole a truck and stabbed the owner of the vehicle during a mile-long chase through Kalispell now is serving a five-year sentence with the Montana Department of Corrections.
Dennis Cartwright, 48, pleaded guilty to felony assault with a weapon after signing a plea agreement with the Flathead County Attorney’s Office. In return, a charge of attempted theft was dismissed.
A District Court judge sentenced Cartwright to 10 years with the Department of Corrections, but suspended five years. Cartwright currently is being held at the Missoula Detention Center where he is being processed by the Missoula Assessment and Sanctions Center.
A spokesman for the corrections program said Cartwright is undergoing a four-week evaluation process that will determine where and how he serves the remainder of his sentence.
The mandatory process includes chemical dependency counseling and research into whether or not he is likely to re-offend.
Cartwright would have faced up to 30 years in prison and $100,000 in fines had he been convicted on the original charges.
Prosecutors filed charges after Cartwright was arrested by Kalispell Police for attempting to steal the truck Dec. 21, 2009.
Cartwright stabbed the truck’s owner, Stephen Bodick, of Kalispell, twice in the arm after Bodick pursued him through city streets.
Bodick had started up his Ford F-250 diesel pickup and let it run for a few minutes in the parking lot to warm up before driving home. He went back inside the office only to return around 5 p.m. to see his truck exiting the parking lot without him.
He chased the truck, jumped into the bed and called Kalispell Police on his cell phone. The would-be thief drove the truck for a few blocks before pulling over and taking off running.
Bodick noticed his wallet was missing from the truck’s cab, so he grabbed a stashed handgun and went after Cartwright.
Cartwright allegedly confronted Bodick, brandishing a knife when Bodick yelled to him that police were on their way.
Cartwright stabbed Bodick twice in the arm, then ran off again with Bodick in pursuit. Bodick caught up to the suspect and held him until police arrived.