Ronan man sentenced to 13 years on multiple charges

A Ronan man was sentenced in District Court in Polson March 12 to the Montana State Prison for a total of 13 years with eight years suspended. The sentence was in accordance with a plea agreement reached in January that wrapped up six criminal cases.

Kurtis William Snell, 34, entered guilty pleas to felony charges of criminal possession of dangerous drugs, criminal possession with intent to distribute, criminal endangerment and escape. Two counts of criminal possession of dangerous drugs were dismissed as part of the deal.

According to court records, Snell was initially arrested by law enforcement in Ronan on Oct 8, 2023, on outstanding warrants from Lake County, Mineral County and Kalispell. He was allegedly in possession of fentanyl.

He was picked up on warrants two other times. Each time, he was allegedly in possession of fentanyl or in possession of paraphernalia that contained fentanyl residue.

A trooper with the Montana Highway Patrol observed him driving a 2009 Nissan Xterra with a severely shattered window on Sept. 11, 2024. He took off and the trooper lost sight of him. He was located perched in a tree later, by where the Nissan was parked near Canal Road.

After an investigation, Snell admitted that he traveled to Spokane, where he received 90 fentanyl pills and traded 10 of the pills in exchange for a ride.

He was observed by an off-duty law enforcement officer leaving the Walmart parking lot in Polson on Aug. 10, 2024. This led to a pursuit with other officers that reached speeds up to 115 miles per hour. He headed south on U. S. Highway 93 before he turned onto a dirt road south of Polson. Law enforcement lost him in a cloud of dust, but he was identified by his pursuers and eventually detained.

On Nov. 13, 2024, while in custody, he was escorted to a hospital in Polson. He escaped and ran about a block west of the hospital before he was apprehended once again.

Judge Molly Owen gave Snell credit for having served 126 days in jail.