HAVRE, Mont. (NMB) – Havre Police Captain Aaron Wittmer says they are seeking the public’s help after a Havre woman escaped custody on Monday afternoon.
Wittmer says at about 3:53 PM, 42-year-old Maria Oppelt (a.k.a. Maria Newton) fled the Hill County Courthouse while a transport was being arranged to the Hill County Detention Center. Oppelt was then supposed to be remanded to the Department of Corrections to serve her sentence.
Wittmer says Oppelt is 5-foot-5-inches and is Native American. Wittmer says she got into a pickup truck and her whereabouts are unknown. The vehicle showed up at a residence on Monday, but a witness said an unnamed female brought it into a driveway and then fled. According to the police incident log, Oppelt was wearing a pink shirt and blue jeans at the time of the escape, and had her hair in a braid.
Wittmer says she may have left the community.
Oppelt had been charged with two counts of felony criminal possession of dangerous drugs and the misdemeanor of criminal possession of drug paraphernalia.
Minutes from Monday’s court hearing were released Tuesday morning. Oppelt pleaded guilty to one felony count of criminal possession of dangerous drugs and one misdemeanor count of criminal possession of drug paraphernalia. She was sentenced to two-years with the Department of Corrections, with none suspended.
According to the Order to Hold, a sentence was orally pronounced by the court at the hearing, and Oppelt was supposed to be remanded to the custody of the Hill County Sheriff’s Department as she awaited transport.
Oppelt was not listed on the Hill County Detention Center’s inmate list on Monday morning. Court documents state Newton posted $5,000 bond in July of 2021.
Anyone with tips is urged to contact Havre Police at 406-265-4361, or Crimestoppers at 406-721-4444.
This post has been updated
