Chase ends after suspect launches truck off Kalispell roundabout

A wanted Trout Creek man allegedly led authorities on a chase through north Kalispell on Tuesday, crashing through wooden fences near Glacier High School and launching off of a mound in the center of a nearby roundabout.

James William Hill, 48, faces one felony count of criminal endangerment in Flathead County District Court following his Nov. 28 arrest after authorities stopped his by then crippled pickup truck on Old Reserve Drive. Held in the county jail with bail set at $130,000, Hill is expected to appear before Judge Dan Wilson on Dec. 7 for his arraignment. 

The chase began after a Flathead County Sheriff’s Office deputy spotted a 1996 Chevrolet pickup headed westbound on West Reserve Drive with an obscured and unreadable license plate, court documents said. After following the pickup onto the U.S. 93 Bypass, the deputy attempted a traffic stop and the pickup took the first exit before allegedly speeding up. 

Traveling at speeds between 30 and 70 mph, the pickup blew through stop signs and illegally passed other vehicles before crashing through two wooden fences near Glacier High School, court documents said. As the deputy pursued, the pickup cut through the school’s parking lot, which contained several vehicles and teenage pedestrians, according to court documents. 

Getting onto Old Reserve Drive and heading westbound, the pickup allegedly sped up to about 80 mph. Hitting the roundabout at the intersection of Old Reserve and Stillwater Road, the pickup launched off of a mound of crushed rock at the center of the traffic circle, court documents said. 

“The Chevrolet took flight through the air for approximately 115 [feet], before landing in the westbound lane of Old Reserve Drive on the other side of the roundabout,” wrote Deputy County Attorney Larissa Malloy in an affidavit filed in district court. 

The pickup then jumped a concrete central divider, hit a wooden sign and a yellow delineator, according to court documents, before continuing to travel west in the eastbound lane. By then the vehicle was moving at about 15 mph and seemed crippled, unable to maneuver. Deputies used their patrol vehicles to bump and then spin the pickup to a stop, court documents said. 

Held at gunpoint, the driver identified himself as Hill, according to court documents. He was arrested after leaving the pickup through its passenger door. 

A review of Hill’s criminal history showed that he had an active warrant for absconding, court documents said. He was convicted of raping a spouse in California in 2001, and in 2010 and 2014 had felony convictions in Flathead County for failing to register as a sexual or violent offender. He was also convicted of felony theft in 2014. 

Criminal endangerment is punishable by up to 10 years in Montana State Prison and a $50,000 fine.

News Editor Derrick Perkins can be reached at 758-4430 or dperkins@dailyinterlake.com.