Man caught following chase in Libby Dam area by county, federal law officers
A fugitive sought by law enforcement officers in Lincoln County sits in the grass off Highway 37, three-tenths of a mile above the Dunn Creek Flats Creek Recreation area. The man suffered some sort of head or facial injury and was waiting for a Libby Volunteer Ambulance crew to transport him for medical care. (Scott Shindledecker/The Western News)
A man sought by law enforcement officers in Lincoln County was captured Wednesday afternoon in the Libby Dam area.
An emergency notification about him, 32-year-old Nikolay Bulakh, of Spokane, Washington, was announced at about 8:30 a.m. Wednesday on the CodeRed notification system.
According to a news release from county Sheriff Darren Short, a deputy patrolling near the west end of the Rexford bridge found a suspicious vehicle at about 1:46 a.m. Wednesday. The man was in the back seat of a 1999 Chevy Silverado pickup with Washington state license plates.
A records check determined the registered owner of the truck had a suspended Washington license. The man did not comply with the deputy and drove away, south on Highway 37. The driver allegedly refused to stop until other deputies deployed spike strips at mile marker 16. The truck was disabled and the man fled into the trees on foot, according to the news release.
After deputies and U.S. Border Patrol agents initially didn’t find the man, his truck was towed to a secure location.
At noon, a county deputy and a U.S. Forest Service law officer found the man in the Dunn Creek area of Highway 37. He ran from officers before coming to an area of cliffs where he fell or jumped. He was injured and then arrested.
Libby Volunteer Ambulance took the man to Cabinet Peaks Medical Center for treatment.
As of 2:10 p.m., the man continued to be non-compliant and has not been positively identified, Short said. But authorities later determined his identity. Short said charges will be filed and the investigation continues. The man was treated and released from the hospital.
“The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the U.S. Border Patrol and U.S. Forest Service law enforcement for their assistance in searching for and apprehending the suspect,” Short said in the news release.