Kalispell man charged with 4th DUI after crash

A repeat DUI offender convicted of leading police on a dangerous high-speed chase last year is behind bars once again for allegedly driving drunk and crashing his car near Whitefish.

Brian Troy Kelley, 48, of Kalispell, is charged with felony DUI and probation violation. He was booked into the Flathead County Detention Center on Dec. 9 and is being held on $45,000 bail. His arraignment is set for Dec. 20.

According to charging documents, Montana Highway Patrol troopers responded to a crash on Hodgson Road on Dec. 8. Troopers spoke with Kelley, who claimed that icy roads caused him to crash.

In the report, troopers noted a strong odor of alcohol on Kelley’s breath, and that he had “red, watery, glossy eyes.” Kelley denied that he had been drinking.

According to the report, Kelley showed signs of intoxication in a field test and was sent to the hospital for a blood draw prior to being booked into jail.

According to documents, Kelley has at least three prior DUI convictions in 2020, 2017 and 2000.

Kelley was convicted in Flathead District Court in 2020 after he led police on an intoxicated high-speed rampage through the Columbia Falls area in February of that year. Kelley busted through a fence and drove into a field where officers used spike strips to end the chase. He was arrested at gunpoint, according to reports.

In that case, Kelley was given a deferred sentence for felony criminal endangerment, while he served one day in jail for misdemeanor DUI.