Routine stop by MHP leads to two arrests

A routine  traffic stop by a Montana Highway Patrol trooper Friday afternoon on 2nd Street in front of the Atrium Mall led to two arrests.

Trooper Cody Smith stopped a '90s Honda Accord because the license plate on the sedan was registered to another vehicle.

Trooper Christopher Baker said a man and woman, passengers inside the car, ran after Smith stopped the vehicle, leaving only the male driver and a dog in the Accord.

The fleeing man and woman didn't get far, Smith said. They were caught and taken into custody.

A sniffing dog brought in by U.S. Border Patrol triggered a deeper look in the Accord while Havre Police Department officers arrived on the scene to help out.

Baker said Friday the driver would not be arrested and a search of the vehicle had yet to be done.

The license plate was removed off the Accord and the car was left parked where it was stopped as everyone cleared the scene Friday afternoon.

The Accord was no longer in front of the Atrium Mall as of this morning.

MHP dispatch said that neither Smith nor Baker were available for comment this morning.