Driver sought after pursuit

A 29-year-old Kalispell man is being sought by the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office after escaping on foot following a vehicle pursuit through Kalispell Wednesday evening.

Sheriff Chuck Curry identified the suspect as Ryan Denny, identified by the registration on his vehicle and by a deputy with whom he had previously had contact.

The incident began when an Eisinger Honda employee in the parking lot of Kmart in Evergreen reported a man was trying to steal a 2011 Chevy pickup the dealership was selling. The employee managed to run off the man, who was screaming and yelling.

After abandoning his attempt to steal the truck, the man jumped into a Ford Explorer and drove away.

A deputy caught up to the vehicle on Whitefish Stage Road. The man then led law enforcement on a pursuit in which he ran several stop signs, swerved into opposing lanes and took out mailboxes before exiting town on U.S. 2 West.

He drove to Spruce Hollow Trail and to an unimproved road, where he got stuck and fled on foot.

“It is very rural, heavily wooded,” Curry said. “Where he actually bailed out of the car was a two-track road and a logging road.”

Law officers were unable to locate the suspect. Curry added that his office was currently working on several leads as to Denny’s location.

 Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to contact the Sheriff’s Office at 758-5585 or Crimestoppers at 753-8477.