The Kalispell man accused of eluding authorities after a Sept. 18 car chase now faces two charges in Flathead County District Court.
Ryan Denny, 29, has officially been charged with felony possession of dangerous drugs and misdemeanor criminal mischief.
Denny was apprehended four days after allegedly leading Flathead County sheriff’s deputies, Kalispell police officers and Montana Highway Patrol officers on a Sept. 18 car chase.
The pursuit originated when a 911 caller reported an attempted theft of a vehicle in the K-Mart parking lot in Evergreen. The theft attempt was unsuccessful, and officers located the suspect’s vehicle a short time later in the Village Greens area.
A responding officer tried to pull Denny over in a traffic stop, but he allegedly would not pull over. Another deputy attempted to block the fleeing car in with his patrol car, but the officer reported that Denny swerved around the roadblock and drove off.
According to court record, one of the pursuing officers visually identified Denny as the driver of the fleeing vehicle. While on the run, the vehicle crashed into three mailboxes, damaging them.
Denny then allegedly led pursuing officers west on U.S. Highway 2, and got stuck on an unimproved road off Spruce Hollow Trail, where he then ran away. He evaded search crews, which included U.S Border Patrol, who responded with a K-9 and handler.
A subsequent search of Denny’s car revealed a baggie containing a “white cotton substance,” according to court records, as well as five pipes and multiple pills. Some of the pills were crushed into partial powder form.
A detective identified four of the pipes as those used to smoke meth, and the fifth was identified as a marijuana pipe. A field test was conducted on the residue in the cotton substance, revealing that the residue tested positive as meth, court records state.
Denny is currently being held at Flathead County Detention Center. His next hearing, an arraignment, is scheduled for Oct. 8.