Flathead chase suspects plead not guilty

Two Oregon residents accused of being involved in a high-speed chase and assault of a police officer in the Flathead Valley last month appeared Thursday morning in Flathead County District Court.

Dennis Clark Painter, 37, and Erika Marie Ernst, 34, were booked into the Flathead County Detention Center July 22 after police said they engaged in a high-speed chase and rammed a police vehicle on U.S. 93 at night on July 21.

Painter, identified as the driver of the truck involved, was charged with theft, assault on a peace officer and criminal endangerment. His bail is set at $75,000.

Ernst, a passenger in the truck, was jailed on a charge of deceptive practice, a felony. Her bail is set at $50,000.

Both pleaded not guilty in their respective cases.

Flathead County Sheriff Brian Heino reported the incident began when a woman reported a stolen Toyota Tacoma and boat trailer from a road near Blankenship Bridge on July 19.

Ernst is accused of stealing the woman’s debit and credit cards and making nearly $1,500 in fraudulent purchases.

Two days later, on July 21, a deputy responded to the parking lot of a business located off U.S. 93 North after a Kalispell Police officer located the truck. It was pulling a camper.

When officers activated their emergency lights, the vehicle fled the lot and ended up driving the wrong way on U.S. 93, nearly hitting several vehicles. Then a cluster of three other vehicles had to split to avoid a head-on collision.

The deputy passed the vehicle in an attempt to alert oncoming traffic. The deputy’s vehicle slowed and Painter’s vehicle allegedly struck the officer’s vehicle.

The vehicle, a pickup truck hauling a camper, left the highway when other police vehicles blocked him from driving on U.S. 93 and drove west on Church Road. The camper rolled on its side and officers soon arrested Painter.

According to Heino, the camper was taken from a business selling campers and recreational vehicles on U.S. 93 between Whitefish and Kalispell.

Heino said the officer driving the vehicle Painter allegedly rammed was treated and released for minor injuries.

Painter is facing a maximum of 40 years in prison if convicted.

Meanwhile, Ernst is facing another felony charge for the alleged theft of a truck after she made bail on the original charge.

According to the charging document, a man called Kalispell Police to report his truck had been stolen on July 24. He said he had offered to give a woman a ride to Hungry Horse after she flagged him down. She said she had just been released from the jail.

He said he stopped at the library, but realized he forgot a face covering. When he returned to the van, he saw the woman driving away from the library.

When a Kalispell Police detective investigated, he learned Ernst was recently released from jail and matched the description of the suspect. The victim said Ernst was the woman who stole his van.

The detective then listened to jail phone calls in which Ernst allegedly made statements about the theft of the van and a plan to flee Montana.

Painter is also facing charges in Oregon after a similar incident in June.

Reporter Scott Shindledecker may be reached at 758-4441 or sshindledecker@dailyinterlake.com