Montana
Trial of man accused of running down Montana Highway Patrol trooper underway in Libby
The trial of a Lincoln County man accused of running over a Montana Highway Patrol trooper during a law enforcement pursuit more than a year ago is underway in Libby.
Jason Allen Miller, 42, is facing felony charges of attempted deliberate homicide, criminal endangerment, aggravated kidnapping, possession of dangerous drugs and criminal mischief following a Feb. 16, 2023, incident in north Lincoln County. Miller pleaded not guilty to the charges, but he remains locked up in the county jail with bail set at $1.5 million.
Trooper Lewis Johnson suffered life-threatening injuries in the incident near Rexford and is still recovering after returning home to Chester in October 2023.
Tuesday was spent selecting a jury of 14, including nine women and five men. Two are alternates.
Wednesday began with opening statements from Assistant Attorney General Thorin Geist, who is prosecuting the case, and defense attorney Daniel Wood.
Geist argued the evidence he and fellow prosecutor Selene Koepke would present would show Miller was aware of the warrant for his arrest and that the defendant wanted to “get away from law enforcement at all costs.”
Wood wanted jurors to consider the question of intent.
“I am focusing on the attempted deliberate homicide charge, the most serious charge, and the difference between intention,” Wood said. ‘We know what happened. Miller struck Trooper Johnson, leaving him partially paralyzed. But what was Jason Miller thinking that day? I don’t envy you that task, but I ask you to keep an open mind.”
Following testimony from Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Clint Heintz about the events of Feb. 16, 2023, Johnson took the stand.
He explained his training, graduating high school in Chester in 2006, graduating from the University of Montana and joining the Montana National Guard where he met and befriended Heintz.
When the chase began, Johnson was within 30 minutes of his shift ending. He said Heintz sought his assistance in the pursuit and he joined it on Montana 37.
After explaining the pursuit continuing on to Camp 32 Road, Johnson testified to his recollection of the moments leading up to him being run over.
“His truck appeared to be stuck, Heintz stopped and I went past and blocked the road and got out,” Johnson said. “At first I couldn’t see the truck and I walked up the left track and my vehicle was behind me. Then the truck was coming toward me. I quickly determined lethal force would be a prudent option.
“There was no waiting, I fired when I knew I was going to be run over,” Johnson said.
After further questioning by Geist, Johnson said he knew a big truck was coming at him, accelerating heavily and was under control.
“I felt my life was in danger,” Johnson said. “To use deadly force, you have to believe your life is in danger.”
Johnson recalled Heintz making the radio call and being taken to the U.S. Forest Service Ranger Station in Eureka for transport to Kalispell by the ALERT helicopter.
When Geist asked him how close he came to dying, Johnson replied, “I came real close.”
Including the severing of vertebrae in his spine, he suffered 22 broken ribs, a broken shoulder, his right lung was punctured and his stomach lining was torn.
Koepke began the prosecution’s case by questioning Heintz. The deputy led the pursuit from Eureka to Camp 32 Road near Lake Koocanusa Bridge. He is credited with helping save Johnson’s life after he was struck by Miller’s truck.
Dash cam footage from Heintz’s patrol vehicle showed the chase from the beginning to the time when Miller struck Johnson. The footage left many observers tearing up and sobbing.
The gallery included many law enforcement officers from the region as well as family members of Johnson and Miller.
Lewis Johnson and his wife, Kate Johnson, also a trooper, comforted each other while the video footage played.
Heintz described the day to the jury following questions from Koepke. He said he was on patrol in Eureka when he encountered Miller’s brother who told him where to find the defendant.
Heintz went to a property owned by Miller’s father. He testified he saw Miller loading tires into the bed of a Chevrolet Silverado truck. When Heintz attempted to contact Miller, video footage showed Miller get into the truck and drive away, followed by Heintz.
The pursuit continued on Montana 37. Heintz said Miller drove at speeds exceeding 100 mph. He testified that he believed Miller endangered the lives of more than 10 people as well as law officers involved in the chase.
Heintz used his public address system multiple times in an effort to get Miller to pull over. He testified that it had worked in the past.
Video footage showed the chase as it left Montana 37 and on to Camp 32 Road. Miller’s vehicle slid on the ice- and snow-covered road. He backed up, then drove toward Johnson’s vehicle.
Heintz saw a muzzle flash of Johnson firing at the pickup from about 15 feet away as Miller drove toward the trooper. Heintz then saw Johnson up on the hood of Miller’s truck before rolling off and under one of the tires. Heintz testified that he believed Miller could have manuevered around Johnson and his patrol vehicle.
The trial will continue Thursday and is expected to last into next week.
The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at July 9, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from July 9 drawing
08-21-24-29, Bonus: 16
Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from July 9 drawing
02-15-22-54-58, Bonus: 04
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
When are the Montana Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 9 p.m. MT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky For Life: 8:38 p.m. MT daily.
- Lotto America: 9 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Big Sky Bonus: 7:30 p.m. MT daily.
- Powerball Double Play: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Montana Cash: 8 p.m. MT on Wednesday and Saturday.
- Millionaire for Life: 9:15 p.m. MT daily.
Missed a draw? Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Great Falls Tribune editor. You can send feedback using this form.
A restraining order has been issued that blocks the Montana Republican Party from enacting new bylaws intended to drive nonconformists…
A restraining order has been issued that blocks the Montana Republican Party from enacting new bylaws intended to drive nonconformists out of the party ranks.
Lewis and Clark County District Judge Michael F. McMahon issued the restraining order Wednesday morning. The order had been requested by county precinct committees and officers suing the state party organization over the new bylaws. The plaintiffs are the Yellowstone County Republican Central Committee, the Choteau County Republican Central Committee, and individual committee members Jeff Essmann, Ted Kronebusch, James Wilson and state Rep. Brad Barker, R-Red Lodge.
At issue are bylaws passed during MTGOP’s June platform convention that the litigating party members say amount to “fraudulent and corrupt practices.” The new bylaws require members to pay $20 in annual membership dues and pledge a loyalty oath, and subject members to removal from elected party positions for nonpayment of dues or for “conduct deemed inconsistent with party purposes,” as determined by executive party party officers. The new bylaws allow charges for removal to be brought by any 20 official Republican Party members.
Montana Republican Party Chairman Art Wittich, the only official spokesperson for the state party, has not responded to voicemails and texts sent to his cell phone Wednesday. Wittich, elected party chairman in June 2025, has long been emphatic about exposing “Democrats disguised as Republicans” — for Wittich a now decade-old battle that spun into a bitter multimillion-dollar war between party hardliners and relative centrists in this spring’s Republican legislative primaries.
The centrists drew the ire of the hardliners in 2025 by collaborating with Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte and legislative Democrats to pass a balanced state budget and key pieces of legislation, including increased taxes on second homes and property tax reductions for primary residences and small businesses.
What constitutes disqualifying conduct isn’t fully spelled out in the bylaws, but they do specify that “collaborating with Democrats” in the Legislature, the governor’s office, the courts, or elections can get members disciplined or removed.
The lawsuit alleges that “The 2026 bylaws empower a small group within the party to revoke Republican affiliation from candidates or office holders, undoing primary nominations by the electorate.”
The plaintiffs argue that Montana voters, not party bylaws, should determine who represents the Republican Party in general elections and who represents voting precincts on the publicly elected county-level Republican committees that coordinate local political activity.
The Montana Legislature in 2019 passed a bill protecting publicly elected party precinct committee officers from being arbitrarily removed from office and defined attempts to do so as “fraudulent and corrupt practices.” That law, sparked by Republican Party infighting 10 years ago, is the foundation of the current lawsuit.
There has been a surge of public interest in Republican precinct-level politics following a perceived lack of support by party hardliners for Republican candidates in conservative strongholds like Flathead County, where more than 60 new precinct committeemen and committeewomen were elected in June. That wave of new officers was preceded by Flathead County Republican Central Committee members considering an endorsement of Libertarian Sid Daoud for Kalispell mayor over Republican Kisa Davison in late 2025. The Kalispell mayor’s race is nonpartisan, but Republicans have gone to court to secure the party’s right to endorse candidates in nonpartisan races.
Wittich’s own campaign for precinct committeeman representing Whitefish was a casualty of that new wave of public interest. He lost to Republican Giuseppe “G-man” Caltabiano, who serves on the Whitefish City Council.
Caltabiano’s wife, Roxanne Ross, defeated Candace Wittich, wife of the Republican chair, in the same election.
State law gives precinct officers two-year terms and specifies that they can be removed only for death, written resignation or loss of residency. The new bylaws state that participation in party governance, including service as a precinct official, “is a privilege of association, not a right conferred by public office or candidacy. Members must act in good faith to support the Party’s purpose and must not engage in conduct materially inconsistent with the Party’s interests, including conduct that undermines its platform, policy positions, election operations, or internal governance.”
The recent changes to the party bylaws allow precinct officeholders to be suspended from voting in party matters and replaced by party leadership for noncompliance. Empty precinct seats can be filled by the Republican Party chair.
“Every Republican candidate sells their version of Republicanism to the people in a primary campaign, and the voter chooses which version to buy,” the lawsuit states. “The party cannot dictate what brands of Republicanism are on the market.”
Former MTGOP chair Jeff Essmann, a plaintiff who is also a long-serving precinct officer, said in his affidavit that members of the Republican State Central Committee weren’t given a required notification about attempts to amend the bylaws. He said he would have attended the platform convention and argued against amending the bylaws if he had known.
“The 2026 Bylaws empower any twenty members of the Party to recommend any other member of the Party for expulsion from the party, to be determined by the State Central Committee, even people who do not reside in Yellowstone County and who have never met me,” Essmann said in the affidavit.
Other central committee members produced pre-convention emails about potential changes to the bylaws, but no details about the amendments.
In issuing the order, McMahon indicated that Republicans challenging the bylaws are likely to succeed. He set a July 13 hearing on whether to make the order permanent.
“Plaintiffs have shown a likelihood of success on the merits of their claims that the challenged provisions are inconsistent with Montana election law and constitutional protections governing candidacy, nomination, speech, association, due process, and elected precinct committee representatives,” McMahon ruled.
___
This story was originally published by Montana Free Press and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.
Copyright
© 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at July 8, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from July 8 drawing
12-29-37-43-55, Powerball: 18, Power Play: 4
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lotto America numbers from July 8 drawing
17-26-31-32-37, Star Ball: 01, ASB: 02
Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from July 8 drawing
03-13-16-17, Bonus: 10
Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from July 8 drawing
06-27-33-44-69, Powerball: 23
Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Montana Cash numbers from July 8 drawing
08-16-17-22-27
Check Montana Cash payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from July 8 drawing
16-18-43-48-50, Bonus: 01
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
When are the Montana Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 9 p.m. MT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky For Life: 8:38 p.m. MT daily.
- Lotto America: 9 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Big Sky Bonus: 7:30 p.m. MT daily.
- Powerball Double Play: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Montana Cash: 8 p.m. MT on Wednesday and Saturday.
- Millionaire for Life: 9:15 p.m. MT daily.
Missed a draw? Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Great Falls Tribune editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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