KALISPELL — Theo Old Chief of Browning has been arrested after triggering a lengthy chase by police on Monday.
Flathead County Sheriff Brian Heino says the incident began at approximately 3:30 p.m. when deputies noticed a vehicle that had just been reported stolen from the Town Pump on 9th Street in Columbia Falls.
The vehicle was seen by law enforcement headed east on US Highway 2 in Columbia Heights and deputies tried to stop the vehicle in Hungry Horse.
Deputies chased the vehicle east on Highway 2 but eventually ended the chase due to traffic and the unsafe driving behavior of the suspect, according to a news release.
A Two Bear Air helicopter was called in to assist law enforcement and the vehicle was soon seen in the area of Marias Pass headed toward East Glacier.
Glacier County authorities deployed spike strips east of Marias Pass causing at least one tire on the vehicle to deflate. However, the suspect continued toward Browning before stopping on a gravel road east of Browning on Highway 89.
Sheriff Heino says Glacier County law enforcement then arrested Old Chief, 31 years old.
He was taken to the Bureau of Indian Affairs jail in Browning pending charges from the Flathead County Attorney’s Office.
The Columbia Falls Police Department, the Montana Highway Patrol, and the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office are continuing to investigate the incident.
