BUTTE — A jury has determined that a Beaverhead County sheriff’s deputy was justified when he shot a Dillon man during a traffic stop last November.
The Montana Standard reports jurors deliberated for about 10 minutes Wednesday before deciding unanimously that Deputy Michael Miles did not commit a crime when he shot 22-year-old Andrew Blake, who had a rifle and had refused orders to put it down. Blake died at a hospital in Salt Lake City six days after he was shot.
Multiple witnesses testified during the coroner’s inquest, and the jurors reviewed footage from the deputy’s dashboard and body cameras.
An administrative review board had already determined that Miles followed agency policy and procedures.