Woman guilty of theft charge

A 19-year-old Kalispell woman charged in a Nov. 14, 2011, chase from Kalispell to Polson pleaded guilty to a reduced charge in a different case  in Flathead District Court.

Nicole Brick originally was charged with felony burglary after Kalispell police officers found Brick’s purse at a gas station while investigating the chase. Inside her purse were several credit cards and other items reported stolen from a Forest Drive home on Oct. 22, 2011.

Brick admitted having the items, claiming that she had found them abandoned under a bridge.

She pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of misdemeanor theft, for which she was given a six-month suspended sentence and was ordered to pay a $75 surcharge and $20 in restitution.

She is charged with two counts of felony theft in connection with the chase, for which she could face an additional sentence of up to 20 years in jail and a fine of up to $100,000.

Her trial in that case is scheduled for April 2.