Teen skips town after pleading guilty

A Bigfork teen apparently did not appreciate a judge’s Christmas gift of release from jail or heed her warning about staying out of trouble after admitting numerous thefts and burglaries.

Harland Robert Jordan, 18, cut off his alcohol and location monitoring bracelets and left a note for his father that he would be back for his sentencing, according to Flathead County dispatch logs. Jesse Davis of Compliance Monitoring Systems said that the bracelets were found in a relative’s mailbox.

Davis has filed a report of violation with the court.

The alleged violation took place just hours after Flathead District Judge Heidi Ulbricht warned Jordan that she would take into account any bad behavior that occurred between his Jan. 8 guilty plea and his April sentencing.

Ulbricht told Jordan in an earlier hearing that “the Christmas spirit” led her to let Jordan out of jail over the holidays, despite objections from the Flathead County Attorney’s Office.

At the time, Jordan said that he was done being a bad guy after racking up a handful of felony charges in the past year.

The plea agreement had recommended 15 years commitment with the Montana Department of Corrections with 12 of those years suspended.

Jordan pleaded guilty to criminal endangerment for a July 2015 incident where Jordan led police on a drunken high-speed chase that ended when spike strips were deployed.

Jordan also burglarized an Egan Slough home and Kalispell auto business, took a four-wheeler from Three Mile Drive and was involved in a bad check-writing scheme.

Ulbricht stressed after the plea was made that she does not have to follow terms of the plea agreement if Jordan does not follow terms of release.

Reporter Megan Strickland can be reached at 758-4459 or mstrickland@dailyinterlake.com.