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Crime

Kalispell Man Arrested After Pursuit in Evergreen

Kenneth Martin Chandler fled from law enforcement on Willow Glen Drive Wednesday night before crashing into another vehicle

By Andy Viano
A Flathead County Sheriff's Office vehicle. Beacon file photo

A Kalispell man on federal probation led law enforcement on a brief high-speed chase on Willow Glen Drive Wednesday night before being apprehended as he attempted to flee from his crashed vehicle on foot.

Kenneth Martin Chandler, 41, was booked into the Flathead County Detention Center and is being held on suspicion on criminal endangerment. He had not been charged in Flathead County as of Thursday afternoon, with the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) saying an investigation is ongoing.

Chandler was sentenced to nearly six years in federal prison in 2015 after pleading guilty to distributing methamphetamine. He was released from prison in November 2019 and subsequently began a five-year term of supervised release. It is unclear whether or not Chandler had violated that probation before fleeing from law enforcement Wednesday night, although an FCSO press release indicated deputies had been attempting to apprehend Chandler “for quite some time.”

Wednesday’s pursuit began a little before 7 p.m. when deputies located a vehicle they believed was being driven by Chandler. When they attempted to stop the vehicle near the intersection of Willow Glen Drive and Concord Lane in Evergreen, Chandler fled south on Willow Glen before striking another southbound vehicle about a mile later. Chandler then left the scene on foot before being apprehended.

A passenger in Chandler’s vehicle was taken to Kalispell Regional Medical Center for treatment of minor injuries. The driver of the second vehicle was not injured. The vehicles both sustained “extensive damage” in the crash.

Chandler is being held at the Flathead County Detention Center and is scheduled to make an initial court appearance on Friday.