By Ron VandenBoom
One Helena man and one East Helena man are in custody in the Hill County Detention Center today after an attempted traffic stop early Monday morning developed into a chase involving Hill County Sheriff's Department and Havre City Police.
Chad Earl Duke, 20, of Helena and Jared Lee Rosling, of East Helena, are currently being held on charges of motor vehicle theft and burglary and possession of drug paraphernalia. Rosling is also being held on a charge of violation of parole and Duke is also being held on a violation of probation.
Havre City Police received a 911 call shortly before 1 a.m. Monday that a blond man in his early 20s with a goatee and wearing a dark jacket was brandishing a rifle and yelling in front of a motel in the 600 block of First Street.
Officers responded to the call and located two men in the suspect vehicle in the 300 block of 10 Avenue shortly after 1 a.m.
Mark Stolen, assistant police chief, said when officers attempted to pull them over, they bolted.
Officers gave chase west bound passed Lincoln/McKinley School and north on Seventh Avenue. The suspects then turned east on Third Street and north on Ninth Avenue to Second Street where they turned west and proceeded to Albertson's parking lot.
Officers continued to pursue the suspects over the viaduct toward Highway 232 at speeds reaching 85 mph.
The Hill County Sheriff's Department had now joined in the pursuit and took over responsibility.
Don Brostrom, Hill County undersheriff, said Monday that the suspect vehicle was located about 24 miles north of Havre just off the turn off to the former Havre Air Force station. No weapon was found in the vehicle.
Brostrom said two deputies, one reserve deputy, one former reserve deputy who lived in the area, and one Havre police officer assisted in tracking the two suspects from their abandoned vehicle west and south across Highway 232.
The United States Border Patrol and BNSF Police offered to assist in the search, but were not needed, Brostrom said.
Officers, Brostrom said, were still involved in the search when the two reserve officers notice a vehicle they recognized as belonging to an area rancher traveling south on Highway 232. They were able to stop the vehicle about two miles south of Cottonwood and capture the two suspects who had stolen the vehicle from a nearby ranch.
