Missoula police officers and firefighters used dry suits and a Taser on Saturday to bring a theft suspect back to shore from an island on the icy Clark Fork River, according to authorities.
Russell Dale Miller, 33, made his initial appearance in Missoula County Justice Court on Monday, charged with tampering with evidence, theft, obstructing a peace officer and escape. Missoula police on Dec. 7 responded to the Poverello Center, where a man reported Miller had stolen his duffel bag. An officer found Miller on a nearby street and ordered him to stop, but Miller continued on, according to charging documents filed Monday. Miller ran across West Broadway and then behind Imagine Nation Brewery with officers in pursuit, according to charging documents.