Rexford man accused of trooper assault back in court

A Rexford man accused of running over a Montana Highway Patrol trooper last week made his initial appearance in Lincoln County Justice Court on three felony charges, including attempted deliberate homicide.

Jason Allen Miller, 41, appeared on video from the Lincoln County Detention Center in front of Judge Jay Sheffield Thursday morning to hear the charges against him.

In addition to attempted deliberate homicide, Miller is facing one count of criminal endangerment and one count of criminal mischief with a value of more than $1,500 in the Feb. 16 incident involving Trooper Lewis Johnson on Camp 32 Road just off Highway 37.

Miller faces a maximum term of 100 years in the Montana State Prison on the attempted deliberate homicide charge and 10 years maximum each on the endangerment and mischief charges.

Judge Sheffield set Miller's bail at $1.5 million after a request by Lincoln County Deputy Attorney Jeffrey Zwang.

Sheffield also instructed Miller to complete and mail the paperwork to secure a public defender.

Miller's next court appearance in district court is set for 1 p.m. Wednesday, March 8.

Miller has a criminal record dating back more than 20 years, including three felony convictions and one misdemeanor conviction. Two felony convictions are for theft and the other is for possession of methamphetamine.

Information in Lincoln County court documents indicates Miller has stolen from his parents, neighbors and two local fire departments.

Miller has served time in the Montana State Prison as well as various Department of Corrections facilities in the last two decades.

The first case against Miller began in 2000 when a man with a summer home in the West Kootenai area said seven firearms and a pair of night vision goggles were stolen from his residence.

Miller later told authorities he stole the guns, worth about $2,600, with the plan to sell them. Miller later decided not to sell the firearms when he saw the victim in town and became afraid. Miller said he took the guns and threw them off the Lake Koocanusa Bridge into the lake.

In Oct. 2001, Miller pleaded guilty to theft. He received a 2-year deferred sentence. Not long after being sentenced, Lincoln County authorities filed a petition to revoke his sentence on Feb. 14, 2002, after state Probation and Parole officers said Miller traveled out of Montana to Sandpoint, Idaho, Spokane, Washington, and Portland, Oregon, without permission. He also tested positive for using meth in January 2002 and was accused of committing another burglary.

The 2002 burglary charge originated when Miller was accused of throwing a log through the window of a residence on West Kootenai Road. He entered the home through the window and stole 12 pistols and four rifles. Miller’s parents also suspected him of stealing several silver coins and a compound bow from their home.

After being arrested Miller admitted taking 14 guns to Spokane to pay off a bad drug debt. Miller also said he stole the items from his parent’s home and selling them at pawn shops in northwest Montana.

Miller was sentenced to 10 years with six suspended. On Jan. 10, 2005, he was released from Crossroads Correctional Center in Shelby.

In April 2011, U.S. Forest Service law officers reported finding Miller having sex with a woman in a parked car. She allegedly had pipes for smoking marijuana and prescription medication in her possession. In February 2012, another alleged probation violation was reported. It said Miller used meth and still hadn’t paid more than $1,500 in restitution to his crime victims. Miller did pay the restitution, but he ended up receiving five years in custody.

A 2012 traffic stop with his wife and 6-year-old child in a truck Miller was driving resulted in a meth possession charge. He received a 5-year suspended sentence.

In April 2018, authorities filed another petition to revoke the 5-year suspended sentence after Miller was arrested in Missoula while allegedly driving a stolen vehicle. Between Aug. 31, 2017, and April 2, 2018, Miller had seven positive tests for using meth, according to court documents. He was then sentenced to five years in state prison.

Another case in 2012 saw Miller accused of stealing gear and equipment from the West Kootenai Fire Department and Fisher River Valley Fire and Rescue. Miller was a member of the West Kootenai department at the time and he was also loaned gear while helping fight wildfires with Fisher River.

The case was pleaded to a misdemeanor and Miller was sentenced to six months in the Lincoln County jail. He also had to pay more than $2,600 in restitution.

Court records indicate Miller did complete various treatment programs while in custody.

Trooper Johnson remains in Logan Health in Kalispell recovering from injuries that include a punctured lung, damaged liver, head injury, broken ribs, broken arm, broken leg and severe spinal trauma.

A GoFundMe account https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-for-trooper-lewis-johnson-family?qid=e4bc476cabe97d6babd813bd73b006a3 to support Johnson and his family has raised nearly $172,000.