12-18-2013 Montana:
The man who led officers on a half-hour chase on Interstate 15 Sunday died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the state Department of Criminal Investigations said Monday.
He was identified as Timothy Arnold Miller, 49, of the Great Falls area by Lewis and Clark County Coroner Mickey Nelson.
Nelson said Miller’s body has been sent to the state crime lab in Missoula, and the matter is still under investigation.
Authorities said Sunday that Miller fled after police and county deputies attempted to apprehend him in northwest Great Falls in connection with a rape case shortly after 2 p.m.
After a half-hour chase, the suspect’s vehicle, a Ford F-250, was disabled with spike strips and came to rest in the median just north of the Gordon exit near mile marker 297.
An initial investigation indicates the suspect shot himself shortly thereafter, authorities said.
No officers were injured in the incident.
Nelson was called in to handle coroner duties given the number of Cascade County agencies involved in the incident.
The ongoing investigation has been turned over to the state Division of Criminal Investigations, as is common practice in situations involving the death of a suspect during a pursuit by law enforcement.
..Source.. by Tribune Staff
Montana man dead following high-speed chase
The rape suspect who died after leading law enforcement on two high-speed chases in the Great Falls area over the weekend has been identified as Timothy Arnold Miller.
Lewis & Clark County Coroner Mickey Nelson released the name Monday morning.
Miller, 49, was being investigated in connection with a rape case.
After eluding capture on Saturday during a high-speed chase, officers on Sunday located Miller outside the Heidelberg Bar on Division Road at about noon. Miller was reportedly sitting in a black pick-up truck in the parking lot.
An employee at the bar said they were informed to go into "lockdown" and not let anyone in or out as officers kept an eye on the suspect in the parking lot. The lockdown was reportedly not lifted until about 3 p.m.
Cascade County Sheriff Bob Edwards said that just after 2 p.m., officers attempted to apprehend Miller, but he drove away out of Great Falls north onto I-15.
The Montana Highway Patrol was called to assist in apprehending Miller, and about 30 minutes into the chase, Miller's vehicle went into the median and stopped near the Gordon Exit of I-15.
Edwards said that Miller died at the scene. It was unclear if Miller shot himself, or was shot by an officer.
The Montana Department of Criminal Investigation will assist with the investigation.
No law enforcement officers were hurt.
..Source.. by KTVQ.com
