HELENA – A Helena man is in custody for allegedly trying to run over and shoot two people near Hauser Dam Wednesday.
Michael Lee Roope, 38, was arrested just west of Clancy early Thursday morning without incident.
According to Sheriff Leo Dutton, around 7:20 p.m. on Wednesday, dispatchers received reports from a man and a woman that a suspect, identified as Roope, allegedly tried to run them over with a vehicle.
The two told deputies Roope then fired through his own windshield at them before trying to hit them again with his truck. The man and woman said they jumped down an embankment to avoid being struck.
When Lewis and Clark County deputies arrived on the scene, they found a bullet hole in the windshield of an abandoned pickup, but Roope was not in the area.
About an hour and a half later, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office reported seeing Roope near Clancy.
“Jefferson County reported that they were in sight of the suspect and that there was a car wreck and the individual had ran. We responded over there to assist the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office,” said Dutton.
A search was then conducted where Roope was eventually located in another vehicle and an arrest was made.
Dutton said he’s grateful to Jefferson County, Montana Highway Patrol, and his own men for resolving the situation.
“I do appreciate not just the interagency cooperation, but the professionalism of all involved. It can get very tense and it was, but it went well,” said Dutton.
The case is still under investigation, but Dutton doesn’t believe there is any threat to public safety.
Roope is currently in the Jefferson County Detention Center.
He will be transferred to Lewis and Clark County to face four charges of felony assault with a weapon.
John Riley – MTN News
