Road rage leads to armed conflict

Flathead County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested a Trap Road man Tuesday afternoon after road rage turned into a fight on his doorstep.

Sheriff Chuck Curry said another motorist followed the resident to his home after apparently getting angry over an incident that had happened earlier. Once at home, the resident got out of his vehicle wielding a crowbar, broke out a window of the motorist’s vehicle and struck the motorist in the arm.

The motorist then pulled a gun on the resident, who threw his crowbar away and ran inside before calling police. While the resident was on the phone with dispatch, the motorist also called police.

The resident was arrested and booked into the Flathead County Detention Center on a preliminary charge of assault with a weapon, while the other motorist is facing a preliminary charge of disorderly conduct.

In another incident reportedly involving guns and vehicles, deputies were drawn into a he-said, she-said incident when a Helena Flats Road woman reported a man had been following her around on a motorcycle, after stealing a vehicle from her house the prior day, and that he had pointed a gun at her mother’s vehicle. The man “vehemently denies” that he had a gun and told deputies he was going home.

A suspicious woman who couldn’t take a hint was reported by a Conrad Drive man after she walked around the block several times and he had to ask the woman to leave his property three times. The resident believed the woman was under the influence of some kind of drug.

A 13-year-old Willow Glen Drive resident reported a loose pit bull had been terrorizing other animals in the area for three weeks. The dog, which had been microchipped by its owner, was found in a field and impounded at the animal shelter.

A woman walking on private property on Gladys Glen Road in Coram looking to gather the faithful for a religious meeting was bitten on the boot by a large dog. She wanted the owner spoken to about his dog’s behavior, but she was advised that the owner was not in violation of the vicious dog ordinance.

A very upset passerby reported a property on Old U.S. 2 East in Martin City as an eyesore because it was full of junk.

Bear Trail residents in Whitefish complained about an ongoing problem of the neighbor shooting arrows into their yard.

A Bear Trail resident also complained about a neighbor leaving a slash pile smoldering all night, making it hard for her to breathe. She said she would call back if the smell got unbearable, like it had the night before.

A resident of Old Creek Road in Marion reported someone had been sending threatening text messages and voicemails to her son’s cellphone.

A person was assaulted by an unknown man on U.S. 2 East and may require stitches.

North Valley Search and Rescue, ALERT, and Three Rivers EMS were dispatched to the area of Skyland Drive and U.S. 2 for a snowmobiler with a broken arm. Search and rescue personnel were turned back shortly before arriving in the area as the snowmobiler had already been picked up by ALERT.

A woman contacted the Kalispell Police Department to report she has been having dreams and seeing items in her dreams and hearing people talk about how she calls the police every day, then when she gets up the items are gone. Her information was passed on to an officer who had an ongoing investigation.

A drunk motorist who tried to reinvent the meaning of “drive-through” was arrested after driving his Dodge Dakota into a fast-food restaurant on U.S. 2.

A woman who was afraid she was witnessing an attempted break-in inadvertently assisted a trio trying to open the door of a car on Sixth Street East by using a slim Jim and kicking the door handle. It was their car, and an officer who responded to the complaint helped them get the vehicle open.

A Rosewood Drive resident returned home to find a woman in her 20s leaving the home and fleeing on a purple bicycle. A camera was missing and several firearms were also possibly missing.

A drunk driver was arrested on Whitefish Stage Road.

A pair of women stole a bottle of wine from a Third Avenue East North business.

A cellphone was stolen on Conrad Drive.

The Columbia Falls Police Department was called in for help after a man’s friend was stranded in Whitefish with no shelter when a bus company was shut down.

A middle-aged man wearing a camouflage shirt and carrying a rake and bucket was reported walking around a River Lakes Drive home and poking at the ground.

An employee of a Ninth Street West business contacted police after a pair of men stole some items and fled.