Michelle George is facing several charges after law enforcement officials found the vehicle used in a shooting and car chase involving a Jefferson County Sheriff’s deputy in November hidden on her property.
On November 13, a Jefferson County deputy tried to pull over a blue Chrysler 300 on Interstate 15 between Montana City and Clancy. Authorities said the car didn’t stop and someone fired multiple shots at the deputy.
The suspects’ vehicle fled at high speed north on I-15. Officials believed three men were inside.
When the suspects were taken into custody in Idaho, they were not in the same vehicle.
While being interviewed in Idaho, one of the suspects said they had parked the car in a shed at the driver’s friend’s house, which had a trailer nearby, according to court documents. The suspect was unfamiliar with the area and could not provide a better location.
Court documents state that on December 4, an informant contacted a Lewis and Clark County detective and provided an address as to where the Chrysler 300 was located.
Detectives visited the property on Canyon Ferry Road on December 4, but were unable to make contact with Michelle George, the property owner, according to court documents.
Lewis and Clark County deputies returned to the residence on December 8 and made contact with George, who did not give them permission to look in the shed. Court documents state George told the deputies she rented the shed out to someone, but would not tell them who had rented it.
On December 13, Jefferson County’s Undersheriff was granted a search warrant for George’s property, which was executed on December 15 with assistance from the Lewis and Clark County Sheriff’s Office.
During the search, detectives located the blue Chrysler 300 that was involved in the shooting and pursuit. The vehicle had a car cover over it, according to court documents, and was also covered in dirt and mud. The VIN number confirmed the car to be a rental vehicle stolen out of Flathead County.
Court documents state detectives located a silver digital scale with white residue, which later tested presumptive positive for methamphetamine, inside George’s purse. Inside the bedroom, detectives found several glass pipes and collected four with white residue inside of them.
George has been charged with two felonies for tampering with or fabricating physical evidence and criminal possession of dangerous drugs as well as a misdemeanor for criminal possession of drug paraphernalia.
Her bond has been set at $25,000.
(November 14, 2018) Three people were taken into custody in Idaho, in connection with a shooting in Jefferson County on Tuesday afternoon.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office announced the arrests around three o’clock Wednesday on Facebook. Sheriff Craig Doolittle said the suspects were apprehended without incident, at a casino in the Blackfoot, Idaho, area.
Just before 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, a Jefferson County deputy tried to pull over a blue Chrysler 300 on Interstate 15, between Montana City and Clancy. Doolittle said the deputy saw the car driving erratically – drifting over the line and keeping its blinker on without pulling over.
Authorities said the car didn’t stop, and someone fired multiple shots at the deputy. Doolittle said the shots broke the patrol vehicle’s windshield and dented the hood, but the deputy wasn’t injured.
The suspects’ vehicle fled at high speed, north on I-15. The Lewis and Clark County Sheriff’s Office reported it was later seen heading east on Canyon Ferry Road. Leaders believed three men were inside.
Doolittle said, when the suspects were taken into custody in Idaho, they were not in the same vehicle.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office is continuing to investigate the incident.
“All the cases are important to us, we want them all solved quickly, but any time somebody gets shot at, it’s a serious crime and it deserves everybody’s cooperation and attention,” said Doolittle.
Doolittle said it’s not clear yet when the suspects might be brought back to Jefferson County. He said it still hasn’t been determined whether they will also face charges in Idaho.
He thanked everyone who assisted his office during the search.
“Not only all the other agencies that helped – our surrounding agencies, out-of-state agencies, federal agencies – but also the public,” he said. “All the tips we got and all of the information they called into us, the information in the comments they left on our Facebook page – they’re greatly appreciated, and they were a big help.”
-Reported by Jonathon Ambarian/MTN News
