Shourds receives sentence related to high-speed chase
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District Judge James Manley committed a Pablo man to the Montana Department of Corrections for five years with no time suspended on one count of felony criminal endangerment. The sentence was handed down at District Court in Polson on Nov. 18.
Shawn Curtis Shourds, 41, pled guilty to the charge as part of a plea agreement, reached on Aug. 26, that dismissed two felony counts of criminal possession of dangerous drugs.
The charge stems from a high-speed pursuit last July.
According to court records, on July 14, Montana Highway Patrol Trooper Tony Isbell observed a vehicle driving in a reckless manner. Isbell attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver took off and continued at speeds of up to 90 mph. Records also state that the driver ran several stop signs. The pursuit continued onto U.S. Highway 93 until the suspect attempted to turn onto Mud Lake Trail but was traveling too fast.
After missing the turn, the suspect’s vehicle ended up on a walking path. The suspect then drove back onto
U.S. Highway 93 into oncoming traffic in the wrong lane. Eight other motorists had to take evasive action to avoid being hit head-on.
Isbell was able to perform a pursuit immobilization technique with the suspect’s vehicle, which caused it to roll off the highway and into a fence near the Lake County transfer station. Shourds, who was on probation at the time, was identified as the driver. A search of the vehicle he was driving turned up about a gram of methamphetamine, approximately six grams of heroin and $901 in cash.
Manley ordered Shourds to pay restitution of $6,530 for the damage caused to Isbell’s patrol car from the immobilization maneuver. Shourds was given credit for 127 days of jail time already served.
