Suspect in chase pleads not guilty to felony charge

The man who allegedly launched his pickup off of a mound inside of a Kalispell roundabout while fleeing deputies last month pleaded not guilty Dec. 7 to felony criminal endangerment. 

Wearing an inmate’s orange uniform, 48-year-old James William Hill appeared before Judge Dan Wilson in Flathead County District Court for his arraignment last week. He remains behind bars with bail set at $200,000.

After entering his plea, Wilson scheduled an omnibus hearing for April 17 with a pretrial conference to follow on June 4. 

Authorities arrested Hill at gunpoint after his crippled truck came to a stop near Old Reserve Drive on Nov. 28, according to court documents. Flathead County Sheriff’s Office deputies had attempted to pull him over earlier in the day on West Reserve Drive for an obscured license plate, but Hill allegedly fled. 

The subsequent chase saw Hill allegedly drive at speeds between 30 and 80 mph, run several stop signs and crash through two wooden fences near Glacier High School before launching off of a gravel mound inside the roundabout at the intersection of Old Reserve and Stillwater Road, according to court documents. 

Hill traveled about 115 feet through the air after using the mound of crushed rock as a ramp, court documents said.

After landing, the pickup jumped a concrete central divider, struck a wooden sign and a yellow delineator. By then the truck was moving at about 15 mph and appeared unmaneuverable, court documents said. 

The driver, identified as Hill, later exited the vehicle after deputies brought it to a stop and surrendered to authorities, court documents alleged.

Hill was wanted at the time for absconding. His criminal history includes a 2001 conviction in California for raping a spouse, and 2010 and 2014 convictions in Flathead County for failing to register as a sexual or violent offender. He also was convicted of felony theft in 2014.

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