A Browning woman and a transient man residing in Kalispell were arrested Jan. 5 following a car chase that began on Meridian Road and ended in Essex after the duo’s stolen vehicle ran out of gas, according to a Flathead County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) press release.
Leah Lynn Reevis, 34, of Browning, was booked in the Flathead County Detention Center on a felony charge of theft. Robert James Spradlin, 40, who is a Kalispell transient and was identified as the driver, was booked on a felony charge of theft and an additional felony charge of criminal endangerment.
According to the press release, on the night of Jan. 5 deputies were dispatched to a report of a stolen Dodge Ram 1500 pickup truck from a location on Meridian Road in Kalispell. After a failed attempt to stop the vehicle on U.S. Highway 2 near Glacier Park International Airport, a pursuit ensued to West Glacier, according to the release.
The pursuit was terminated in West Glacier due to road conditions and Two Bear Air was dispatched to locate the vehicle from the air.
Deputies were told by the owners of the stolen vehicle that it would likely run out of fuel and they continued east on U.S. Highway 2 until they located the abandoned vehicle and traced footprints in the snow leading south into the forest. Two Bear Air located Reevis and Spradlin at 11 p.m. about 100 yards from the vehicle. The helicopter personnel directed the deputies, who arrested the the defendants.