Polson man pleads not guilty in child endangerment

A Polson man is lodged in the Lake County Jail on child criminal endangerment charges after a police chase.

Raymond James Head, 34, is facing five felony counts of criminal endangerment after an incident earlier this spring in the Turtle Lake area.

He pleaded not guilty to the charges last month and a jury trial is scheduled for Oct. 19.

According to court documents, a Lake County Sheriff’s deputy received a report of a man holding a woman against her will in a truck traveling north on Montana 35 on March 19.

After a dispatcher from the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribe said the man, later identified as Head, was staying with a friend in the Turtle Lake area. The dispatcher also said a truck similar to the one the deputy was looking for was reported speeding in the area.

When the deputy saw the truck pulled off the side of the road, he approached and it began to back up before stopping and then drove at the deputy’s vehicle. The deputy pursued the truck, which appeared to have a broken front tire while he allegedly tried to elude the officer.

The truck then crashed into a ditch at the intersection of Wall Street and Turtle Lake Loop.

When the deputies got to the truck, they found Head behind the wheel and five children between the ages of 3 and 12 years old.

Head remains in jail on $50,000 bail.