HAVRE, Mont. (NMB) – Havre Police Chief Gabe Matosich reports that a Rocky Boy man was arrested on Friday afternoon after allegedly engaging in a pursuit with a stolen vehicle.
29-year-old Jerome Lane Bigknife is the alleged driver and faces two pending felony counts of criminal endangerment, a felony count of motor vehicle theft, and numerous misdemeanors, including fleeing or eluding a Peace Officer, criminal trespassing to vehicles, obstructing a Peace Officer, driving with a suspended or revoked license, possession of drug paraphernalia, and an open container violation.
Matosich says at 2:24 PM Friday, officers tried to stop a 2006 blue Ford Escape on the 100 block of 12th Avenue after an officer identified the driver as Bigknife. Bigknife had six misdemeanor court warrants and the vehicle he was in had been reported stolen out of Rocky Boy.
Bigknife fled the scene, leading to a high-speed pursuit that made its way along 1st Street and ended in the Wal-Mart parking lot.
Matosich says Bigknife then exited the vehicle and ran through the store before being apprehended by police at the service department.
Matosich says no weapons were used at any time during the incident, and Bigknife did not have a weapon. He adds that no injuries or damage has been reported, and that the pursuit only lasted a few minutes.
Bigknife is in custody at the Hill County Detention Center on bonds totaling over $55,000.
Matosich says there was one passenger in the vehicle, identified as 24-year-old Mindy Dubois of Havre. She remained in the car when it parked at Wal-Mart and was arrested on pending charges of possession of drug paraphernalia and had an active misdemeanor warrant for failure to appear. As of Monday morning, she remained in custody at the Hill County Detention Center on over $1,100 bond.
Matosich says that during the pursuit, some traffic failed to move over and stop on the right side of the road to yield to law enforcement. He wants to remind the public that it is crucial this regulation is followed to ensure the safety of the public.
The Hill County Sheriff’s Office assisted Havre PD during the incident.
