Road trip wreck ends in felony charge against Polson woman

A Polson woman’s recent road trip to the Flathead Valley didn’t have an ending she likely could have imagined.

Tacy Mae Moniere, 39, is facing a felony charge of theft after a March 7 incident in Kalispell.

According to charging documents, Moniere allegedly admitted stealing a 1994 Geo Tracker and a 2020 Ford F150 truck on Sunday, March 7. She said she had rented a car in Polson the day before, was in a vehicle crash and was taken to Kalispell Regional Medical Center.

Moniere then told a Kalispell Police Department officer she was released at about midnight March 7 and had wandered around all night looking for a place to get warm, according to the court document,

She allegedly said she stole both vehicles with the intention of returning to Polson. She reportedly said she planned on taking the truck “until the journey she was on was over.”

The two victims in the alleged crimes also gave statements to police.

A woman reported her Geo Tracker was stolen from the parking lot of a grocery store after she left it running in an attempt to charge her phone while she was in the store.

Nearly two hours later, a man reported his Ford F150 stolen from another business while he was inside the store. The man then pointed to a Geo Tracker parked next to where his truck had been parked. He said the Tracker wasn’t parked there when he went into the store.

A Kalispell Police officer checked the vehicle registration and it had been reported stolen earlier in the day.

Shortly after, a Flathead County Sheriff’s Office corporal saw the stolen truck driving south on Whitefish Stage. After pulling the truck over, the keys to the Tracker were found in the vehicle.

Moniere appeared in court March 18 for arraignment. She was released on her own recognizance.

The maximum sentence Moniere faces is 10 years in the Montana State Prison.