Suspect pleads guilty in pretrial agreement over drug possession

A pretrial plea agreement has been reached involving Jaymes Dean Leduc, 28, of Kalispell, who agreed to plead guilty to two charges of felony possession of dangerous drugs in separate court cases.

Per a pretrial plea agreement filed in Flathead District Court on July 12, the state moved to dismiss a charge of felony criminal endangerment in one of the cases.

The state will recommend the court impose a three-year deferred imposition of sentence for each charge to run concurrently, according to the plea agreement. Conditions of the agreement stipulate Leduc secure employment and enroll in a community-based chemical dependency treatment program.

According to court documents, a woman called 911 on Nov. 29, 2018, to report an attempted burglary at a residence on Mallard Loop in Whitefish. She said the burglary was unsuccessful and she pursued a man later identified as Leduc in a vehicle. She said she saw him fire a round from a gun he carried.

When a deputy from the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office responded to the area, he located Leduc on KM Ranch Road and saw a handgun in his possession.

The suspect dropped the gun when the deputy ordered him to do so, and he was arrested.

During a search of Leduc, the deputy found a white, crystalline substance that Leduc later admitted was methamphetamine, according to court documents.

When a detective questioned Leduc, he allegedly admitted to firing his gun and that he had injected himself with methamphetamine.

In an Aug. 11, 2018, incident, a deputy from Flathead County Sheriff’s Office was on patrol in Columbia Falls and recognized Leduc from previous encounters who, at the time, had two outstanding warrants for his arrest, according to court documents. The deputy attempted to make contact with Leduc, who reportedly began running and jumped a fence onto private property. The deputy chased Leduc, who jumped into, and crossed a small creek, abandoning a black backpack he was carrying. Leduc was later found in an outbuilding and arrested.

According to court documents, the deputy retrieved the backpack from the creek and searched it, finding a hypodermic needle containing a clear liquid, which Leduc claimed was water during questioning, but was later determined to be methamphetamine by the State Crime Lab where it was sent for testing.

Sentencing is set for 9 a.m. Sept. 5.