Troy man returns to wanted list

Jason Dale Kelso, a 41-year-old man from the Troy area, is once again on local law enforcement’s wanted list after walking away from the Great Falls Pre-Release Center Monday morning.

Kelso is no stranger to fugitive status. He was arrested May 12, 2015, after absconding from probation in 2014.

Kelso pleaded guilty in 2014 to one count of felony drug possession and two counts of bail jumping and was sentenced in October 2014 to three years probation on the drug charge with a consecutive probationary term of two years on the bail jumping charges. After meeting with his probation officer on the day of his sentencing he failed to make any further contact, and he was charged in December with violating probation.

Kelso was arrested last month by the Special Response Team of the Lincoln County Sheriff’s office at a residence near Bull Lake, where he was found hiding in a bathroom. 

The drug charge against Kelso had been filed following a traffic stop in 2013, when he was found to be in possession of methamphetamine. The bail jumping charges were filed in 2014 after Kelso failed to appear in court on the drug case.

Lincoln County Attorney Bernie Cassidy opposed Kelso’s request and recommended a three-year commitment to the Montana Department of Corrections for the drug offense with a consecutive two years on the bail jumping charges. The recommendation was backed up by a report from probation officer Darrell Vanderhoef, who testified that he would not expect Idaho to accept Kelso for supervision due to his history of bail jumping and absconding.

Kelso was sent to the Missoula Assessment and Screening Center Oct. 16, 2015, and then to Connections Corrections for drug dependency treatment Dec. 15, 2015. After completing the treatment program at Connections Corrections, Feb. 16, 2016, Kelso was shipped to the Great Falls Pre-Release Center to complete a six-month pre-release program. Despite being sentenced to consecutive three-year and two-year terms, Kelso would have been released on conditions after successfully completing the six-month pre-release program.

Instead, he walked away from the minimum-security program March 14, which could earn him an additional five years.

Law enforcement officers suspect Kelso will try to return to the Troy/Bull Lake area or to Idaho, where his wife is on supervision with the Idaho Department of Corrections. Adult Probation and Parole Officer Darrell Vanderhoef said Kelso has never explicitly threatened law enforcement to his knowledge, but said he should be considered potentially dangerous.

“He’s got a drug history, with both methamphetamine and marijuana,” Vanderhoef said. “He runs from law enforcement all the time. I think he could possibly be dangerous. Last time he was found with two firearms in his backpack. He’s never actually threatened law enforcement, to my knowledge, but I think the potential is there.”

Vanderhoef said anyone with information about Kelso’s whereabouts should not approach him, but should contact local law enforcement or the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office immediately.