A Kalispell man whose flight from police ended when an Evergreen woman held him at gunpoint launched into an expletive-laced tirade in Flathead District Court on Tuesday after being sentenced to 15 years in prison and 10 years of probation.

At least one of the courtroom security officers had a hand on his Taser as Jordan Lynn Elliott, 27, pointed and yelled at Deputy County Attorney Ken Park and District Judge Ted Lympus after his sentence was handed down.

The Taser was unnecessary when Elliott finally went willingly back to the jail.

In what began as a statement to the court, Elliott said he has been a ward of the state “you know, in my youth up until now.” He claimed that the book gets thrown at him every time he is in court and he always gets the maximum sentence.

“25 years? Really?” Elliott said. “For assault on a cop? It’s an Alford plea, OK?”

An Alford plea allows a defendant to accept conviction while maintaining their innocence.

Lympus was quick to cut Elliott off and contradict his claims.

“An Alford plea is a guilty plea and you were made aware of that,” Lympus said. “Your sentence is 25 years total, but 10 of those years are suspended.”

The comment did not subdue Elliott’s anger.

“Whatever, man, you’re [expletive] corrupt,” he said.

Elliott’s sentence was based on felony convictions for theft, assault with a weapon and assault on a police officer, as well as the revocation of two prior sentences.

In his new case, Elliott initially was charged with the three felonies as well as felony counts of criminal endangerment and criminal mischief and a misdemeanor charge of fleeing from or eluding a peace officer. The additional charges were later dismissed as part of a plea deal.

Elliott could have been sentenced to 61 years in prison if convicted on all six charges.

On Jan. 3, Elliott led police on a high-speed pursuit in a stolen vehicle. The chase began at the north end of Whitefish Stage Road and continued all the way to Evergreen, reaching speeds of nearly 100 miles per hour.

Elliott managed to avoid spike strips, but eventually spun out in the parking lot of the Evergreen Gas and Deli, accidentally striking a police cruiser.

He bailed out of the vehicle and fled on foot.

An Evergreen couple heard the chase on their police scanner, with Elliott’s location believed to be across the street from their home. When Michael Stephens exited his home with a flashlight, he immediately saw Elliott.

Stephens tackled Elliott into a bush, but Elliott was able to wrestle a flashlight away and began beating Stephens with it.

At that point Amy Luis stepped outside with her hunting rifle. 

She saw Elliott hitting Stephens in the face with the flashlight and decided she had had enough.

“I told they guy, ‘Knock it off, I’ve got a gun and I’m not afraid, I’ll blow your brains out,’” Luis told the Inter Lake in January. “He didn’t stop, so I took the barrel of the gun and slammed the guy in the face with it. Finally, he stopped and said ‘OK, I’m done, I’m done, you got me.’”

The two prior sentences revoked due to Elliott’s new convictions include:

— A five-year suspended sentence imposed by Lympus in 2012 for possessing syringes, spoons, methamphetamine and spoons when Elliott was arrested as a parole absconder in April 2011.

— A 2009 sentence from District Judge Stewart Stadler totaling three years in prison and four years of probation for felony drug possession along with revocation of an earlier sentence.

While arguing for the total 25-year sentence, Park noted that Elliott has absconded four times, has had sentences revoked five times and has been convicted of at least seven felonies. 

Elliott also failed to appear for a March hearing while he was out on a $95,000 bond, leading to a $200,000 bench warrant. He was eventually located and arrested more than a month later after he was seen going through the drive-through of the Burger King in Columbia Falls.

Reporter Jesse Davis may be reached at 758-4441 or by email at jdavis@dailyinterlake.com.