BREAKING NEWS 120 MPH chase yields drug arrests
CHARLO — A high-speed chase on Wednesday through the southern part of the Flathead Reservation resulted in the arrest of two Idaho men accused of dealing methamphetamine in the area.
Car owner Stephen Dale Leischner, 23, of American Falls, Idaho, and driver Dustin Jade Morgan, 23, of Idaho, are both being held in the Lake County Jail after leading Lake County Sheriff deputies, Tribal Law officers, St. Ignatius police, Ronan police and the Montana Highway Patrol on a wild chase through southern Lake County before their Cadillac was disabled by spike strips on the road.
The chase reached speeds of more than 120 miles per hour and lasted just over 30 minutes, creating risks for citizen drivers on U.S. Highway 93, MT Highway 200 and 212.
A press release from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office listed charges against the two as criminal endangerment, possession with intent to sell, tampering with evidence and numerous traffic offenses.
The chase began as a result of an investigation by the Northwest Montana Drug Task Force, according to Task Force member and narcotics investigator for the Tribes Brian Fyant.
The Force had received information from a confidential informant deemed extremely credible about a man from Idaho named “Stevie” that was in the area and possessed and sold large quantities of methamphetamine, Fyant said.
The informant gave a description of “Stevie’s” car as a dark-green tan-top Cadillac with Idaho plates. After speaking with the county attorney on Tuesday, Fyant said the information was enough to warrant a stop and further investigation of the suspect.
“With the amount of information we had on this guy, we felt we were pretty much obligated to stop him,” he said.
During a rolling surveillance by two plainclothes Tribal Law officers in an unmarked car, they spotted the vehicle near Arlee and attempted to stop the suspect. The Cadillac signaled like he would pull over, but instead “bolted”, Fyant said.
The suspect headed north on Highway 93 through St. Ignatius before turning south towards Arlee as they gained more and more speed. Once in Arlee, the suspect turned north towards Ravalli before heading onto Highway 200 and then on to Highway 212. Officers set up spike strips just south of Charlo where the suspect ran over the obstacle and popped one tire, enough to disable and eventually stop the vehicle.
Throughout the chase, according to a press release from the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, officers observed the suspects throwing objects out of the windows.
Officers recovered clear plastic bags with methamphetamine and a broken digital scale on the roadway after the chase. Inside the vehicle, officers found a personal amount of marijuana, an estimated three grams of methamphetamine throughout the vehicle and ammunition for a 9 mm handgun, but no actual weapon.
Fyant said the officers discovered white residue on the rear passenger side window, indicating that the passenger, Leischner, had attempted to get rid of the drug, leading to the charge of tampering with evidence.
Both have extensive criminal records. Leischner is on probation/parole in Idaho until 2014 for possession of a controlled substance. According to a employee at the Power County (Idaho) Sheriff’s Office, Morgan has a record of approximately 14 offenses. He also has a warrant for his arrest in Idaho that is non-extraditable