Flathead County Sheriff’s Office sees busy holiday weekend

Flathead County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to 519 calls over the holiday weekend and made 16 arrests, including that of two men wanted in Washington in connection with assaults and drive-by shootings, officials said.

Sheriff Brian Heino said Tuesday that his agency picked up brothers Thomas and David Lewis in Columbia Falls about 1:30 p.m., May 26 after receiving a tip from an anonymous caller. Both men have outstanding felony arrest warrants in Washington, Heino said.

They were expected to appear in court on May 30 and face possible extradition, Heino said.

In another call, members of SWAT departed a career presentation at West Valley School to support the search of a home in connection with an alleged rape. That case remains under investigation by the Sheriff’s Office’s Detective Division, authorities said.

Heino said that by weekend’s end, the population at the county jail had risen to 111 inmates. Several of the arrests involved cooperation with city law enforcement agencies and authorities in neighboring counties, he said.

Two Bear Air also saw multiple calls throughout the three-day weekend, he said.

Heino urged residents to stay safe as summer approaches and remember that local law enforcement is working to keep up with an increase in criminal activity across the county.

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