A Big Sandy man was sentenced to prison Thursday after admitting to illegally possessing a firearm.
Joe Don Demontiney, 37, pleaded guilty in January to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
He was sentenced to one year and one day in prison and to three years of supervised release.
The Department of Justice reported that prosecutors said Demontiney led the Montana Highway Patrol on a high-speed chase that began on May 23, 2018 on Highway 87 between Big Sandy and Box Elder.
The trooper saw a large cloud of black smoke coming from the rear of a Honda Civic that Demontiney was driving and thought the car was on fire. The trooper pursued the Honda, which had been stolen in Great Falls three days earlier, according to a media release.
The chase reached speeds of at least 98 miles per hour before Demontiney stopped on a county road. Inside the vehicle, the trooper saw drug paraphernalia and a black pry bar, according to the Department of Justice.
Ultimately, the trooper seized a semi-automatic rifle and a semi-automatic pistol from the car.
Demontiney, who had a prior felony conviction in state District Court, was prohibited from possessing firearms.
