Suspect in Kalispell chase given suspended sentences

A man accused of leading authorities on a chase through downtown Kalispell in February received a trio of suspended sentences in Flathead County District Court in late November.

Judge Heidi Ulbricht handed down a suspended five-year sentence to Bryan Patrick Doyle, 40, of Kalispell for felony criminal endangerment Nov. 30. He also received a suspended six-month sentence for misdemeanor assault and a one-year sentence with all but seven days suspended for misdemeanor driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, second offense. Ulbricht gave Doyle seven days credit on the latter sentence and 19 days overall for time served. 

Doyle initially faced a felony assault on a peace officer count following his Feb. 4 arrest, but prosecutors amended the charges as part of a plea deal struck in October. They also recommended the suspended sentences, which are to run alongside a sentence Doyle is serving out of Missoula County, as per the terms of the agreement. 

Authorities began pursuing Doyle after an alleged hit-and-run on U.S. 93 in Kalispell. As Doyle evaded Montana Highway Patrol troopers, Kalispell Police officers and Flathead County Sheriff’s Office deputies, he narrowly missed pedestrians and narrowly avoided several head-on collisions, court documents said. 

During the end stages of the chase, Doyle allegedly rammed a trooper’s cruiser, leaving it with extensive damage. Doyle sped up again after impact, this time striking the driver side door of the cruiser and injuring the trooper inside, court documents said. 

Authorities arrested Doyle at gunpoint after he subsequently hopped out of his vehicle and fled on foot, according to court documents. 

Investigators described Doyle as unsteady, emitting the odor of alcoholic beverages, and sporting water and bloodshot eyes at the time of his arrest. He spoke with slurred speech and vomited on himself, court documents said. 

Ulbricht also ordered Doyle to enroll in and complete the state’s drunk driving program and pay a $1,000 fine.

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