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Flathead Man Convicted of Oregon Murder Charged with Threatening Officers, Tampering

Steven Jason Colby pleaded not guilty to felony charges in Flathead County District Court

By Justin Franz
Steven Colby appears in Flathead County District Court on Jan. 26, 2017. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon

A Flathead County man convicted of murder in Oregon in the 1980s has been charged with felony threats in official matters and tampering with evidence.

Steven Jason Colby pleaded not guilty on Jan. 26 at an arraignment in Flathead County District Court. He is expected to stand trial later this year.

According to court records, the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office and Child Protective Services were investigating Colby after he was accused of raping a female minor. The investigation began when law enforcement learned that the girl became pregnant.

On Dec. 16, the sheriff’s office received search warrant to obtain Colby’s DNA in order to confirm if he was indeed the father of the girl’s child. Law enforcement tried to contact Colby on multiple occasions and at one point, when they reached him by phone, the man said he was hiding from the law out of state. On Dec. 21 officers went to Colby’s home with CPS workers. After knocking on the door, officers entered the home and located Colby.

Colby allegedly became confrontational with the officers and made numerous threats to them. At one point, Colby allegedly told a detective that “I will find you and it will just be you and I.” Because of Colby’s past homicide conviction, the officers took the threat seriously. Colby was placed under arrest and taken to the Flathead County Detention Center. While in custody, Colby continued to threaten officers.

In jail, Colby allegedly called his wife. During that call, officers heard Colby tell the woman to “wipe my tablet.” Believing that there might be additional evidence on the electronic device, officers filed for a search warrant for the tablet but before they could acquire it the device had been erased.

Colby was convicted of first-degree manslaughter and conspiracy to commit murder in 1985 in Oregon. He spent 20 years in prison and was released in 2005. If convicted on these new charges, Colby could spend up to 20 years in the Montana State Prison.