Teen rolls car during joyride

A 15-year-old boy may soon face charges after allegedly stealing his cousin’s car, taking it for a joyride and rolling it south of Kalispell.

The incident initially came to law enforcement’s attention when the clerk at a gas station called 911 shortly after 1 a.m. Tuesday to report a person had just rolled a vehicle on Cemetery Road at U.S. 93 South and was now in the store bleeding from his nose and a cut above his eye.

A Montana Highway Patrol trooper talked with the boy, who admitted he stole the vehicle from his cousin, with whom he lives. Prior to the trooper’s arrival, the boy told a dispatcher on the phone that he was driving too fast and blacked out, causing him to roll the vehicle.

According to Flathead County Sheriff Chuck Curry, the boy told law enforcement that he took his cousin’s keys, then sneaked out of the house, using her vehicle to visit his girlfriend before the accident.

The boy was transported to the hospital for treatment of minor injuries and was later released. Curry said he will likely be charged with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.