Man flees after court appearance

A Trout Creek man is back in custody after fleeing from authorities following a court appearance on Tuesday.

Alton J. Steinhoff appeared before Judge Deborah Kim Christopher Tuesday for an initial appearance on two felony charges of violation of a protective order, third or subsequent offense. After entering a not guilty plea, a jury trial was set for February 19, 2024, which is the same setting as another felony case involving Steinhoff that is also pending before Judge Christopher. Steinhoff’s attorney, Steve Fletcher, addressed the court regarding a motion filed in that case, opposing the revocation of the bond Steinhoff previously posted in this matter. After some discussion between the parties regarding other non-criminal matters and Steinhoff’s mental health issues, Judge Christopher requested that the attorneys discuss the matter to either come to an agreement or for the State to file their response before a ruling is made.

Shortly after Steinhoff was escorted from the courtroom to return to the jail, still cuffed and shackled, he was able to break away from his escorts and attempted to escape from custody, with additional law enforcement and detention officers rushing from the courtroom to pursue him. Steinhoff fled to the Gallatin Street bridge and allegedly jumped into the reservoir before he was taken back into custody.

As alleged in the charging documents, on October 18, Detective April Phillips met with the alleged victim regarding several reported violations of an Order of Protection. The Order of Protection had been granted by Judge Molly Owen and served on Steinhoff on September 29, and prohibited Steinhoff from making or attempting contact with the victim. The woman advised police that she received a call from Steinhoff during the afternoon of October 11. He allegedly told her he was calling from the Bonner County Detention Center in Idaho, requesting money from her to post his bond. The victim then stated that she received a second call from the same number on the afternoon of October 13, which she refused, but received a message relayed identifying the caller as Steinhoff. Detective Phillips requested copies of the call from Bonner County Detention Center, which confirmed the report. Steinhoff has two previous convictions for violating an Order of Protection issued by the Sanders County Justice Court in December 2021.

Coming before the court for his initial appearance, Curtis Raymond Lumley pled not guilty to a felony count of driving under the influence, fourth offense. Judge Christopher set this matter for a jury trial on March 18, 2024.

On October 12, according to the filed affidavit, Deputy Devin Wegener was advised of a male, identified as Lumley, driving to Plains in a maroon station wagon, possibly under the influence of alcohol. While patrolling Highway 28, Deputy Wegener observed the station wagon driving at a slow rate of speed for the area of the highway he was traveling. Deputy Wegener followed the vehicle, observing the vehicle crossing the center line and rebounding back to the other side of the lane several times in straight sections of the highway as they were descending into Plains. The vehicle then failed to stop at the stop sign at the intersection of Highway 28 and Highway 200, after which Deputy Wegener initiated a stop.

Deputy Wegener allegedly observed a strong odor of alcohol emanating from the vehicle, as well as observing Lumley’s speech being slurred and labored, with his eyes appearing red and watery. Deputy Wegener administered the standard field sobriety tests, which indicated impairment, and the preliminary breath test resulted in a 0.191 BAC. Lumley consented to giving a blood sample, which was done at Clark Fork Valley Hospital en route to the Sanders County Jail. A criminal records search found that Lumley has three previous DUI convictions in July 2004, December 2007 and December 2011.