Man in custody after Blue Bay shooting

 BY MICHELLE LOVATO

Lake  County Leader

Aaron Christopher Dodge, 45 of Blue Bay, is in custody after he allegedly shot three family members at their home April 17.

Lake County Sheriff’s Office deputies were alerted to the incident at about 1 p.m. after a woman, who was driving herself and two family members to the hospital, called emergency dispatchers to tell them she was driving toward St. Joseph Medical Center in Polson, said Lake County Sheriff Don Bell.

During her first emergency dispatch call, the woman said she had been shot accidentally. Shortly later, however, the woman called back to inform the Sheriff’s Office she the shooting was intentional, Bell said.

Deputies responded to the hospital and to the home where the shooting occurred.

When deputies arrived at the original location of the shooting, Dodge was gone, Bell said.

Deputies secured the house, applied for a search warrant and began looking for the car they believed Dodge was driving, Bell said.

Deputies found the car in an orchard but it was unoccupied at the time of discovery, Bell said.

At around 7:30, as deputies kept watch at the suspect’s home, they saw Dodge attempting to return home, Bell said.

After a short foot chase, Dodge was apprehended and taken into custody, Bell said.

Dodge was arrested on one count of felony partner or family member assault causing serious bodily injury and three counts of felony assault with a weapon. He is in custody at Lake County Detention Center in Polson.

The three injured family members, two who were adults and one juvenile were first treated at St. Joseph Medical Center in Polson. Two family members were released and one family member continues to be hospitalized while recovering from surgery, Bell said.

Dale Glen Parker, 46 of Ronan was arrested after taking pursuing officers on a chase through Lake County that ended near Haystack Mountain Lane on April 15.

Ronan Police Officers attempted to pull Parker over for a broken taillight when the chase began, said Lake County Sheriff Don Bell.

Instead of stopping, Parker took off, taking members of the Ronan Police Department, Tribal Law and Order officers and Lake County Sheriff’s Office deputies on a chase through town, Bell said.

Unwilling to stop his car, Parker forced pursuing police to apply spike strips to the roadway, a task Polson Police Department officers helped provide, Bell said.

After hitting spike strips, Parker continued to drive away from officers, which sparked a tire fire, Bell said.

Parker, who was on parole for a previous violation was arrested on felony probation violation and criminal endangerment and booked into Lake County Detention Center in Polson.

Parker is listed on the Montana Sexual or Violent Offender Registry as a violent offender and was sentenced for felony assault with a weapon on March 7, 2005.