UPDATE: Suspect Detained Near Libby Dam After Overnight Pursuit Identified
After leading law enforcement on a pursuit from Rexford Bridge to the Libby Dam, law enforcement this afternoon arrested a noncompliant male suspect who has not been positively identified
By Maggie Dresser
Following a car chase and foot pursuit that began early Wednesday morning and lasted more than 10 hours, law enforcement arrested the suspect they were after when he fell from a “cliffy area” in the Dunn Creek area off Highway 37, near Libby Dam, according to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO).
Authorities on Thursday afternoon identified the suspect as 32-year-old Nikolay Bulakh of Spokane, Washington. Criminal charges related to the incident are pending.
On March 5 at 1:46 a.m., a LCSO deputy located a male in the backseat of a 1999 Chevy Silverado with Washington registration south of Rexford who had a suspended Washington driver’s license. The suspect was noncompliant with the deputy and drove south on Highway 37, refusing to stop until additional deputies successfully deployed spike strips at mile marker 16. With his vehicle disabled, the driver “fled into the tree line” where deputies and U.S. Border Patrol agents could not locate him. The vehicle was towed to a secure location.
U.S. Forest Service Law Enforcement and a sheriff’s deputy located the suspect shortly after noon in the Dunn Creek area of Highway 37, chasing him to a cliffy area where the suspect fell.
The Libby Volunteer Ambulance transported the suspect to Cabinet Peaks Medical Center for treatment and has since been released.
The investigation is ongoing.