Man arrested following chase, standoff

A Flathead Valley man is behind bars after an alleged high-speed chase with sheriff’s deputies and standoff involving regional SWAT on Friday.

Hayes Goggles III, 36, faces one count of felony criminal endangerment in Flathead County District Court following his April 28 arrest. He remains in county jail with bail set at $100,000.

The string of events leading to Goggles’ arrest began with a 2:05 a.m. phone call to law enforcement reporting multiple gunshots emanating from Jellison Road, court documents said. The caller told authorities that they suspected Goggles as the shooter and said no one should have been on the property. The house once located at the site had burned down several weeks prior, they said.

Goggles’ significant other called 911 about 6 minutes later, describing the 36-year-old as “flipping out” while firing a rifle on the Jellison Road property, court documents said.

Deputies arriving at the address found a parked Honda Pilot, matching the description given of Goggles’ vehicle, and hit their overhead lights, court documents said. The display prompted Goggles to hit the gas, driving in circles before shooting off into the nearby woods, according to court documents.

Several law enforcement vehicles had to dodge the fleeing Pilot as did a few members of law enforcement out on foot, court documents said. After clearing the wooded area, Goggles drove the Pilot onto nearby fields and through several fences, according to court documents.

The Pilot eventually headed toward Jellison Road, but crashed into a ditch while trying to cross railroad tracks. Unable to make it over the tracks, the car turned south on Jellison Road and sped off, court documents said.

Deputies stopped the Pilot using what is known as a precision immobilization technique, or applying pressure to the rear of a fleeing vehicle in an effort to cause it to fishtail and stall. Though stopped, Goggles allegedly ignored orders to exit the vehicle.

Deputies eventually sparked up a conversation with Goggles, who told them he had a rifle in the front seat with him.

Despite the back-and-forth, Goggles continued to refuse to leave the Pilot, court documents said. He later exited following the arrival of SWAT, court documents said.

Goggles allegedly told investigators he smoked methamphetamine prior to the morning’s events.

Goggles is expected to appear before Judge Amy Eddy for his arraignment in Flathead County District Court on May 16.

If convicted of felony criminal endangerment, Goggles faces up to 10 years in prison and a $50,000 fine.