TF man arrested following chase

The Town of Plains had its own exciting ride during the fair, but it was a one-time jaunt that lasted only about two minutes. In the end, the man got another free ride to Thompson Falls.

A Plains police officer attempted to make a traffic stop of a man on a motorcycle near the intersection of Railroad and Willis streets around 1:30 a.m. on Friday, September 3, but the cyclist refused to stop, prompting the officer to go after him.

“The traffic stop turned into a pursuit as the motorcycle attempted to flee at a high rate of speed. The motorcycle crashed and the Plains Police Department officer and two deputies from the Sanders County Sheriff's Office took the male into custody,” according to Plains Chief of Police Shawn Emmett.

Roger Brice Trull was apprehended after he went over the railroad tracks in the vicinity behind Town Pump and flipped the motorcycle over. The 27-year-old Thompson Falls man was uninjured, said Emmett, but was transported to Clark Fork Valley Hospital by Plains Community Ambulance as a precaution. The chase lasted only two minutes. Emmett said the motorcycle was inoperable after the crash and Trull was pinned under the machine. “I think the shock of the crash assisted in him not resisting arrest,” he said.

Emmett said that the initial approach by the officer was an infraction of a town ordinance noise violation, but it was determined after the pursuit that there had been an outstanding warrant for Trull and that the motorcycle had been stolen, the police chief said. In addition, after Trull was apprehended, the officer discovered that the suspect was in possession of a loaded concealed firearm. Suspected drugs and drug paraphernalia were also seized and sent to the State Crime Lab for identification, according to the police chief, who added that charges will be filed by the Sanders County Attorney relating to the pursuit and arrest. Trull had been wanted on a $50,000 felony drug warrant from Sanders County.

Emmett said the railroad’s road master came to the accident scene about 2 a.m. to check the tracks and make sure the motorcycle had not damaged the rails.

Trull appeared in 20th Judicial District Court Tuesday and pleaded not guilty. He is facing charges of criminal endangerment, criminal possession of dangerous drugs, obstruction a peace officer, operating without registration and no front license plate. Trull’s attorney, Kirk Krutilla, argued on his behalf for a release on his own recognizance. Trull spoke, saying that he had family in the county that he could stay with to keep him clean, or he could be expedited to Idaho, where he has a job and friends to keep him clean and to report on him if he were to stray. Sanders County Attorney Naomi Leisz spoke stringently against the release, saying that it would be premature. She cited the charging documents, explaining that Trull had evaded police officers in a high-speed chase, endangering the lives of both law enforcement and the community. Judge James Manley denied the request and set a trial date of February 22, 2022, for Trull.