JJ.G0ldD0t
14th June 2011, 02:54 PM
http://www.nbcmontana.com/news/28234434/detail.html
(CNN) -- Investigators have lost the trail of a convicted (riiiiight) militia member who melted into the remote and rugged backcountry of western Montana after allegedly shooting at sheriff's deputies following a low-speed chase, a Missoula County sheriff's commander said Tuesday.Officials pulled back in their search when dogs lost David Burgert's scent after two days, Missoula County Undersheriff Mike Dominick said.
Officers continue to patrol the area for signs of Burgert, and the FBI is involved in the hunt, said Debbie Dujanovic Bertram, the bureau's spokeswoman in Salt Lake City. But what had been a manhunt is now more of an investigation, Dominick said.
On Sunday, Burgert led officers on a low-speed chase in a Jeep Cherokee, and he then stopped and fired on the deputies, according to the sheriff's office. No one was injured.The officers had been called to make a welfare check on Burgert, the sheriff's office said.Employees at the Lumberjack Saloon in Lolo said Burgert seemed calm when he drove past the bar with police behind him.
He even slowed to wave, witness Stan Jones told CNN affiliate KPAX."We could hear sirens coming, and pretty soon I could see this Jeep Cherokee coming up the road ... with the highway patrol behind him," Jones said. "As he got closer to us, he stuck his arm out the window and waved to us, kind of like he was on a Sunday drive."Authorities said it appeared that Burgert was very well-prepared to evade a manhunt and probably had stashed another vehicle in the wilderness.
Dominick said deputies told him Burgert calmly strapped on a bag after shooting at them and fled into the woods."The deputy said he was calm when he fired at him," Dominick told CNN affiliate KECI.The area where he disappeared is rugged, with steep slopes and thick brush, Sheriff Carl Ibsen told KECI.His department has warned authorities in neighboring counties and even other Western states to be on the lookout for the man, whom they consider extremely dangerous."By his actions and by what transpired, it looks like he was trying to kill a couple of our deputies and fortunately was unsuccessful," Ibsen told KPAX.Investigators are seeking search warrants to follow up on leads they have been receiving, Dominick said. He did not elaborate.
Burgert is known statewide as a dangerous figure, Dominick said. He has threatened law enforcement officers in Kalispell, as well as other state and court officials, Dominick said.Officials said Burgert is a former member of a local militia named Project 7, after the designation on Flathead County license plates.
He was convicted in federal court on weapons charges stemming from a 2002 standoff with police. Authorities found a machine gun and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.He was released in March 2010, according to federal Bureau of Prisons records, after serving an eight-year and four-month sentence.
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(CNN) -- Investigators have lost the trail of a convicted (riiiiight) militia member who melted into the remote and rugged backcountry of western Montana after allegedly shooting at sheriff's deputies following a low-speed chase, a Missoula County sheriff's commander said Tuesday.Officials pulled back in their search when dogs lost David Burgert's scent after two days, Missoula County Undersheriff Mike Dominick said.
Officers continue to patrol the area for signs of Burgert, and the FBI is involved in the hunt, said Debbie Dujanovic Bertram, the bureau's spokeswoman in Salt Lake City. But what had been a manhunt is now more of an investigation, Dominick said.
On Sunday, Burgert led officers on a low-speed chase in a Jeep Cherokee, and he then stopped and fired on the deputies, according to the sheriff's office. No one was injured.The officers had been called to make a welfare check on Burgert, the sheriff's office said.Employees at the Lumberjack Saloon in Lolo said Burgert seemed calm when he drove past the bar with police behind him.
He even slowed to wave, witness Stan Jones told CNN affiliate KPAX."We could hear sirens coming, and pretty soon I could see this Jeep Cherokee coming up the road ... with the highway patrol behind him," Jones said. "As he got closer to us, he stuck his arm out the window and waved to us, kind of like he was on a Sunday drive."Authorities said it appeared that Burgert was very well-prepared to evade a manhunt and probably had stashed another vehicle in the wilderness.
Dominick said deputies told him Burgert calmly strapped on a bag after shooting at them and fled into the woods."The deputy said he was calm when he fired at him," Dominick told CNN affiliate KECI.The area where he disappeared is rugged, with steep slopes and thick brush, Sheriff Carl Ibsen told KECI.His department has warned authorities in neighboring counties and even other Western states to be on the lookout for the man, whom they consider extremely dangerous."By his actions and by what transpired, it looks like he was trying to kill a couple of our deputies and fortunately was unsuccessful," Ibsen told KPAX.Investigators are seeking search warrants to follow up on leads they have been receiving, Dominick said. He did not elaborate.
Burgert is known statewide as a dangerous figure, Dominick said. He has threatened law enforcement officers in Kalispell, as well as other state and court officials, Dominick said.Officials said Burgert is a former member of a local militia named Project 7, after the designation on Flathead County license plates.
He was convicted in federal court on weapons charges stemming from a 2002 standoff with police. Authorities found a machine gun and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.He was released in March 2010, according to federal Bureau of Prisons records, after serving an eight-year and four-month sentence.
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