Oregon couple jailed after high-speed chase
Two Oregon residents were booked into the Flathead County Detention Center Wednesday after police said they engaged in a high-speed chase and rammed a police vehicle on U.S. 93 late Tuesday night.
Dennis Clark Painter, 37, identified as the driver of the truck involved, is facing pending felony charges of theft, assault on a peace officer and criminal endangerment. His bail was set at $23,000.
Erika Marie Ernst, 34, a passenger in the truck, was jailed on a pending charge of felony theft.
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.
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 into was treated and released for minor injuries.
It appears Painter did nearly the same thing in Oregon a month ago.
According to a KPTV Fox12 story from June 24, Painter fled two Multnomah County deputies when they tried to stop him for traffic violations.
Painter allegedly drove the wrong way on an on ramp while exiting Interstate 84. Deputies stopped the chase for safety reasons but an Oregon State Parks employee directed them to a post office where the truck was found stuck on railroad tracks.
Officers later found Painter and arrested him. He was jailed on felony charges that included eluding, drug possession, reckless driving and for violating his parole from a 2009 case in which he robbed two dancers at knifepoint.
An oregonlive.com story reported Painter was sentenced to 115 months for the robbery.
Reporter Scott Shindledecker may be reached at 758-4441 or sshindledecker@dailyinterlake.com
