Suspect arrested in string of thefts

A suspect was arrested last week after a string of break-ins and vehicle thefts in Northwest Montana.

Sanders County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) reported on Facebook that they responded May 19 to a suspicious vehicle in the Avista housing area at Noxon Rapids Dam. A resident provided a license plate number to the SCSO and it was learned that the vehicle was stolen out of Flathead County. SCSO deputies located the vehicle and pursued the vehicle, with speeds reportedly over 100 miles per hour. The suspect abandoned the vehicle and fled into the woods. Deputies said that they searched for the suspect, only to find that he had stolen a third vehicle.

The sheriff’s office reported that all the stolen vehicles had been left unlocked with the keys in the ignitions. “We were able to determine the suspect was also involved in several burglaries in the area and deputies recovered a large amount of property from guns to chain saws,” SCSO said in a statement.

According to the sheriff’s office, the suspect was also involved in several break-ins in Idaho and Lincoln County. Lincoln County deputies were later involved in a pursuit with the third stolen vehicle from Sanders County and were able to eventually catch the suspect after he had broken into a cabin in the Troy area. The suspect is currently in custody in Lincoln County facing several burglary charges and a host of traffic charges.

Sheriff Tom Rummel reminds people to lock their vehicles, “even if they are parked in your driveway next to your home.”