Page 8 - Flathead Beacon // 6.11.14

8 | JUNE 11, 2014 NEWS FLATHEADBEACON.COM

Three Years After Shootout, Mystery

Just
Sayin’.
Surrounds Fugitive’s Disappearance

“I don’t think we
have a boom, but Law enforcement jumped into his Jeep and headed west
we have a good ofers mixed opinions on
on U.S. Highway 12 before turning onto
economy growing the whereabouts of David Graves Creek Road. As Burgert drove
at about 3 percent. north he allegedly slowed down and waved
We’re pulling away Burgert
to patrons at the Lumberjack Saloon. A
short time later, he pulled over, ired at po-
from the rest of the lice and disappeared. For nearly a week,
world.”
local, state and federal law enforcement
By JUSTIN FRANZ of the Beacon
John Silvia, chief combed the area looking for Burgert, but
economist at Wells Fargo, On June 12, 2011, David Burgert led no trace was ever found.
responding to the latest Missoula County sherif deputies on a “I wasn’t surprised when we learned
U.S. jobs report showing slow-speed car chase through the moun- of the 2011 incident in Missoula because
the nation’s economy tains south of Lolo. Just past the Lumber- that’s just the type of guy Burgert is,” Cur-
added 217,000 jobs in jack Saloon, Burgert pulled over, jumped ry said. “Wherever he goes he’s going to
May, a substantial gain for out of his Jeep Cherokee and ired shots at have contact with law enforcement . He’s
a fourth straight month.
police, before running deep into the woods just not the kind of guy who goes away. It’s

with just a handgun and a fanny pack.
not in his nature.”
“This is going to be He’s been missing ever since.
Curry, Garner and current Kalispell
a tough election; Three years after a manhunt for the Police Chief Roger Nasset all believe that
former militia leader proved fruitless, Burgert is dead; “He couldn’t stay under
let’s be honest.”
law enforcement ofer difering opinions the radar this long,” said Nasset, who was
about what may have happened to the man a member of the SWAT team that arrested
U.S. House candidate who once plotted to assassinate local oi- Burgert in 2002.
John Lewis, telling
attendees of the Montana cials in Flathead County, including cur- David Burgert PHOTO COURTESY DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS
But Dominick said there is no evidence
Democratic Party rent Sherif Chuck Curry and former Ka- that Burgert is deceased and Missoula
convention in Butte that lispell Police Chief Frank Garner.
a felon in possession of irearms and was County believes he’s still on the lam and
the party’s candidates Curry and Garner, who both dealt with sentenced to 10 years in prison and three receiving outside help. He said that nu-
face an uphill battle in the Burgert on multiple occasions in the early years supervised release. That sentence merous tips and leads have been reported
fall’s general election.
2000s, speculate that the wanted man is was reduced when Burgert agreed to tes- to the sherif’s oice over the last three
dead, but Missoula County Sherif Capt. tify against one of the other Project 7 lead- years and some are still being investigat-
Mike Dominick, who led the manhunt, be- ers.
ed. Dominick declined to go into detail
“We’ve had a
warming trend lieves otherwise.
Burgert’s 2002 incarceration was about the tips but did say he believes that
“We believe he is still alive and that not his irst stint in prison. In the mid- Burgert is no longer in Missoula County.
here that is about someone is helping him,” Dominick said. 1980s he spent four years behind bars in “(This case) is on the back burner for
1.8 times greater “(And) we’ll continue to search for him Alabama for breaking and entering into a now but we’ll put it on the front burner as
than the rest of the until he’s found.”
trailer with a loaded gun.
soon as we get more information,” he said,
More than a decade ago, Burgert was a In March 2010, Burgert was released adding that there is a reward for informa-
global average and familiar face to lawmen in Flathead Coun- to Montana on probation and spent the tion leading to Burgert’s arrest. “We think
that’s enough to tip ty. Burgert, who would be 50 years old next year bouncing around the state look- if he had died up there then his body would
the balance for our
now, was the leader of an anti-government ing for work, eventually ending up at a have been located by now.”
glaciers.”
militia group based near Kalispell called picnic area near Lolo. While Burgert had While Garner still believes Burgert is
Dan Fagre, a research Project 7. In 2002, the group had stock- frequently checked in with his state and dead, he said law enforcement oicials are
ecologist in Glacier Park, piled explosives and irearms in hopes of federal parole oicers, he was also illegally always mindful of the criminals they have
anticipating that the overthrowing the federal government. gathering weapons and planning another dealt with in the past.
local glaciers, which are They planned to assassinate local lead- standof with police. That plan came to a “Over the course of your career you
receding or disappearing, ers and then go to war with the National head on June 12, 2011, when sherif depu- deal with a lot of people who have gone to
will likely resume
retreating this year after Guard.
ties responded to a report of Burgert’s jail – murderers, thieves and rapists – and
In February 2002, Burgert and ive Jeep being parked at the picnic area for a you are always mindful of them,” Garner
slowing down in recent others were arrested after an all-night prolonged period of time.
said. “David Burgert is one of those peo-
years.
standof with police in the valley. He later When the oicers arrived at the Fort ple.”
pleaded guilty in federal court to being
Fizzle Historic Site Picnic Area, Burgert
[email protected]

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