fbpx

Great Falls Man Found Guilty in Deputy’s Death

Adam Sanchez Jr. hit deputy with car during high-speed chase

By Molly Priddy

BILLINGS — A jury has found a Great Falls man guilty of striking and killing a Cascade County sheriff’s deputy during a high-speed pursuit near Belt.

Jurors deliberated for five hours before finding Adam Sanchez Jr. guilty of deliberate homicide under the felony murder rule in the August 2014 death of Deputy Joe Dunn. Jurors also found Sanchez guilty of assault with a weapon, two counts of criminal endangerment and assaulting a police officer.

Defense attorney Tom Bartleson had argued there was no evidence that his client hit Dunn for any reason other than to maneuver around vehicles and that there is no proof Sanchez intended to cause harm.

Sanchez is serving a 20-year prison sentence for armed robbery. Prosecutors plan to seek a life sentence for Dunn’s death.