Suspect in multiple theft cases earns deferred sentences

A man arrested for trying to steal a motorcycle last year and followed it up by allegedly leading authorities on a chase along U.S. 2 in a stolen pickup truck earned deferred sentences last month.

Hunter Cole White, 21, saw multiple felony charges filed against him in two separate cases in Flathead County District Court wrapped up in a plea deal struck in November 2022. In exchange for the deferred sentences, White pleaded guilty Nov. 30 to felony attempted theft in the first case, and felony theft and criminal endangerment in the second case.

Judge Heidi Ulbricht handed down deferred three-year sentences for all three charges on Feb. 9. She also gave White credit for time served. The sentences are to run concurrently.

Authorities initially came across White on July 22, 2022 after residents of a Columbia Falls area RV park reported the attempted theft of their motorcycle, according to court documents. They told Flathead County Sheriff’s Office deputies they spotted and confronted a man trying to wheel the vehicle out of their driveway.

A Columbia Falls Police officer later found a man, identified as White, matching the couple’s description walking along railroad tracks near Talbot Road, court documents said. Prosecutors filed the attempted theft charge against him in July of that year.

White again came face-to-face with area law enforcement in early November while deputies searched for a stolen truck. When they came across the vehicle and tried to initiate a traffic stop, the driver allegedly fled. The truck hit speeds of 95 mph heading eastbound on U.S. 2, court documents said.

Authorities stopped the truck near Colorado Boulevard in Hungry Horse, but the driver — identified as White — fled on foot, court documents said. Deputies later caught up to White and arrested him, according to court documents.

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