Savage pleads no contest to assaulting a peace officer

Prosecutors will drop a slew of charges against Alvin McKenzie Savage III after he pleaded no contest to a count of assault on a peace officer as part of a deal announced March 2.

Savage, 42, is the defendant in two cases in Lincoln County District Court. Authorities charged him with two counts of criminal possession of dangerous drugs and criminal possession of drug paraphernalia stemming from a 2018 arrest.

He also faced the assault on a peace officer, aggravated driving under the influence, driving without a valid license and having expired registration charges from a November arrest.

Although Savage initially pleaded not guilty to all charges, he accepted the deal and changed his plea to no contest during a scheduled pre-trial hearing. Prosecutors will recommend the Libby man serve five years of a suspended 10-year sentence.

Savage came to the attention of law enforcement in June 2018 after Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office deputies pulled his vehicle over on U.S. Highway 2 for a burnt out taillight, according to an affidavit written by Brandon Holzer. The detective noted that Savage and the other two adult occupants of the vehicle were “known drug users.”

The trio claimed they were headed back to town from a shopping trip in Bonners Ferry, court documents said. Holzer, though, wrote that many addicts and drug dealers frequent the Idaho community.

Although Savage was cleared of driving under the influence, Holzer said he began acting suspicious when authorities questioned whether he had any heroin. Savage vehemently denied possessing the drug, Holzer wrote.

“When asked if there was any heroin in the car, instead of saying no directly, he stated in an excited utterance of confidence that there was no heroin in the car and was in shock that I asked,” Holzer recounted. “[These were] very different body mannerisms from the previous questions I had asked.”

When they asked to search the vehicle, Savage refused. Authorities then seized the vehicle, court documents said.

A subsequent inspection of the vehicle turned up a variety of drugs, court documents said. Authorities allegedly found several grams of methamphetamine in two separate bags, multiple pills, pipes, cash and mushrooms, among other illicit items.

Investigators determined that a needle, scale, 30-milligram morphine pill, muscle relaxant pill, three grams of marijuana and three hydrocodone pills belonged to Savage, court documents said. He also had a firework and .22 caliber pistol, according to the affidavit.

While that case was winding through district court, authorities arrested Savage again Nov. 21 after first responders found him unresponsive behind the wheel of a vehicle on Park Street.

Arriving Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Ben Fisher recalled Savage smelled strongly of metabolized alcohol in an affidavit. Savage began to struggle as first responders attempted to get him into an ambulance.

Described by authorities as “combative” in court documents, Savage allegedly tried to smash a monitor in the emergency vehicle. Authorities eventually handcuffed Savage to transport him to the medical center, court documents said.

There, Savage continued to fight, according to Fisher’s account. He later bit a colleague of Fisher’s while the deputy was trying to keep him under control, court documents said. The bite broke the lawman’s skin.

“After the bite, Savage started yelling that he had AIDs,” Fisher wrote in his affidavit.

Medical center staff eventually retrieved a blood sample, which was sent to the Montana State Crime Lab for testing.

A sentencing hearing is scheduled for April 6 in Lincoln County District Court.