Lengthy police pursuit ends with one crash, one arrest

One man is in custody after a car chase some 17 miles south of Havre, came to town and toured much of the Havre area and ended on a gravel road by Beaver Creek Reservoir Friday evening.

At around 3:30 p.m. Montana Highway Patrol trooper Christopher Baker stopped a blue Ford pickup truck for an expired registration near Northern Winz Casino on U.S. Highway 87.

After he discovered the male driver of the pickup had two warrants for his arrest, Baker said the driver took off, beginning the pursuit.

The chase went through Havre, and at one point entered Blaine County. During the incident, the suspect hit another vehicle near Patterson Park but kept driving.

As the driver heading south on Montana Secondary Highway 234 - Beaver Creek Highway - toward Beaver Creek Park, police deployed a spike strip on the road near the Border Patrol office and successfully took out the rear-left tire on the pickup. The suspect continued south without a tire and turned onto a gravel road by Beaver Creek Reservoir when another tire blew, which ultimately brought the chase to an end around 5 p.m.

Once the vehicle was stopped, the suspect was detained and arrested by Montana Highway Patrol without further incident.

Units from the Havre Police and Hill County Sheriff assisted in the pursuit. The name of the suspect and the condition of the occupants in the vehicle he hit were not immediately available.

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Watch for more in Monday's edition of the Havre Daily News