KALISPELL – A 47-year-old Kalispell man who was chased down and held by the owner of a pickup he allegedly tried to steal has pleaded not guilty to felony assault and attempted theft.
Dennis Cartwright is accused of driving away in a pickup truck that was being warmed up outside a Kalispell business on Dec. 21. The owner of the truck was leaving work when he saw his pickup exiting the parking lot. He chased the truck, jumped in the bed and called Kalispell police on his cell phone.
The would-be thief continued driving for a few blocks before pulling over and taking off running. The truck’s owner grabbed his gun from the cab and chased the man down. He was stabbed twice in the arm and the thief broke away again.
The truck’s owner, 26-year-old Stephen Bodick, chased the thief down again and held him for police.
Cartwright’s trial was scheduled for June 7.