A 62-year-old Columbia Falls man is believed to have committed suicide after being stopped for a traffic violation over the weekend.
Flathead County officials say Wayne Poil was pulled over on U.S. Highway 2 Saturday afternoon, when officers noticed he had expired license plates.
As the truck pulled off the road, the Montana Highway Patrol trooper saw Poil pull a rifle from near the back window. The truck then crossed a field and ran into a fence, where it stopped.
Troopers found Poil dead in the front seat of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot to the head.
A coroner from Lincoln County was called in to handle the investigation. An autopsy was conducted at the state crime lab in Missoula.