Investigators say Ingram's suicide wasn't premeditated

By Ethan Smith

Leader Staff

More than a week later, Polson residents are still in shock over the suicide of former mayor Randy Ingram, and investigators said all signs are that it was a spur-of-the-moment decision made during a traffic stop in which Ingram was being questioned about possibly driving under the influence.

Ingram's body was sent to the state crime lab in Missoula after he apparently shot himself in his truck last Wednesday night, July 18. The county attorney's office will make the decision as to whether to hold a coroner's inquest, given the circumstances of Ingram's death, which took place while he was technically being detained in police custody.

Ingram was driving southbound on Hwy. 93 last Wednesday night at about 11:30 when the driver of a truck he was following pulled over in front of Ducharme Park to tell Ingram his headlights were not on. Another Polson resident, who knew Ingram, also stopped to ask him if everything was OK, and advised him that his lights were not on, and then drove away.

A few moments later, Polson police officer Ernie Cahala pulled in behind Ingram to check to see why traffic was being held up, and approached Ingram in his truck, according to Sheriff's Lt. Mike Sargeant, who is heading the investigation.

Cahala made contact with Ingram, and asked for his driver's license, registration and proof of insurance, all of which Ingram complied with. Cahala then walked back to his patrol vehicle and called in Ingram's information to dispatch to verify that his license was valid and that he had no outstanding warrants — standard procedure on any traffic stop.

Cahala then got out of his vehicle and walked back to Ingram's truck, and advised Ingram that he was concerned he had been drinking, and that he wanted Ingram to perform some field sobriety tests, Sargeant said. Ingram asked Cahala if he could drive to a more convenient location, but Cahala said the current location was OK.

Meanwhile, Sheriff's deputy patrol Sgt. Luc Mathias had also arrived on scene to see if Cahala needed any help. As Cahala stood by Ingram's truck, with Mathias nearby, Ingram apparently picked up a pistol and shot himself in the head.

"There was nothing to indicate that this was premeditated. There was nothing he [Ingram] said or did [at the scene] that indicated he planned to do this," Sargeant said.

Polson police chief Doug Chase asked the Sheriff's office to investigate the situation because it involved one of the city's officers.

Chase was immediately notified, as was Sheriff Lucky Larson, and the Sheriff's office began a formal investigation, given the fact that it occurred during a traffic stop.

Cahala and Mathias both submitted their sidearms to Sheriff's investigators a few minutes later, and both were tested for the presence of gun-shot residue on their hands. Tests indicated neither officer had fired a gun, nor had their guns been used, and both men had blood samples taken at St. Joseph Hospital that night as part of the investigation.

"Neither of them had anything in their system but caffeine," Sargeant said. "We found no evidence of any wrongdoing on the part of either officer."

As part of the investigation, Cahala's car-mounted video camera recording was also seized, which confirmed Cahala's version of events. Sargeant said video footage of the event shows Cahala talking to Ingram while standing outside of Ingram's truck, but that it's difficult to see inside the truck's cab because the back window was tinted.

"The event that was captured on video showed the conversation [between Ingram and Cahala], but the actual shooting was blacked out because of the tinted window," Sargeant said.

The recording of the event was immediately turned over to the county attorney's office, and reviewed by Sheriff's investigators and county attorney Mitch Young last Thursday morning, July 19, and again Monday afternoon.

Results from the state crime lab indicate Ingram had a blood-alcohol level of .25 at the time of the shooting, Sargeant said, and tests performed at the crime lab confirmed Ingram took his own life.

"The crime lab concurs with our investigation. Evidence from forensic examination and the video tape confirms that this was a suicide," Sargeant said.

According to Sargeant, interviews with Ingram's family and friends reveal no indication that Ingram intended to commit suicide that night. No suicide note was found at Ingram's house or in the vehicle, Sargeant said.

"We didn't find any indication, verbally or non-verbally, that he intended to commit suicide," Sargeant said. "The shooting came as a complete surprise to the officers there at the scene. They had no indication this was going to happen."

Ingram had told his wife Brooke that he intended to check on the condition of the family's boat, following last Wednesday's violent storm, and was driving down to the dock area when the driver ahead of him stopped to tell him his lights weren't on. Cahala did not observe Ingram driving that night, but only stopped to see if he needed any help, after seeing the vehicles blocking southbound traffic.

Neither Cahala nor Mathias saw Ingram reach for his pistol, Sargeant said. Family members told Sargeant that Ingram routinely carried a handgun in his truck.

Because Cahala had advised Ingram that he wanted to conduct some field sobriety tests, Ingram was considered "detained" by law enforcement standards, even though he was still in his truck. A coroner's inquest, in which a panel of civilians listens to evidence presented and then renders a decision, is a standard procedure any time someone dies while in police custody, even if it's by their own hand.

County attorney Mitch Young did not return a phone call Tuesday seeking comment as to whether he would ask for an inquest. A press release from the Sheriff's office said the official finding was that Ingram committed suicide, but Young could hold an inquest anyway.

Ingram had attended the monthly SPLASH event at First Interstate Bank that afternoon, and appeared to be in good spirits, joking with friends and talking about his transition back into the private sector. Ingram had taken a job with First Citizen's Bank, after serving as mayor for five years.

He was first elected at age 27 in 2002, and then won his bid for re-election in 2005. However, Ingram decided to step down last year after telling the city council that he was in the process of building a home outside of city limits, which precluded him from serving as mayor.

At his last city council meeting last October, Ingram was praised by city officials and local business owners for helping guide Polson through growth and transition. Ingram was also credited with repairing the city's relationship with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, which was evident on such projects as Salish Point and other inter-local agreements.

"Randy Ingram will be missed. He was a good man who worked well with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. He was an asset to the entire community. He helped heal the broken relationship between the City of Polson and the Salish Kootenai Tribes," Tribal chairman James Steele, Jr. said in a prepared statement.

Mayor Jules Clavadetscher ordered the flag at City Hall to be flown at half mast in memory of Ingram, until after his funeral Friday. A memorial service will be held at the Polson Country Club driving range at 11 a.m.

A full obituary appears on page C4.