A man who allegedly fled on foot after getting caught trying to steal a motorcycle earlier this month attempted debating authorities over whether he should face criminal charges if he failed to get away with the bike.

Hunter Cole White, 21, faces one felony count of attempted theft in Flathead County District Court following his July 22 arrest. He is being held in the county jail on $15,000 bond.

Deputies with the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office began looking for White after responding to a theft call at an RV park outside Columbia Falls about 8:38 p.m. Two residents told authorities that they watched a man trying to push their motorcycle away from their property. Confronted, the man fled on foot.

The two valued the motorcycle, a 2022 Yamaha, at about $13,000. They told authorities it was newly purchased and gave them a description of the man they saw trying to take it.

An officer with the Columbia Falls Police Department spotted a man matching that description walking along the railroad tracks near Talbot Road. When deputies caught up to the individual, they identified him as White, court documents said.

As they cuffed him, White allegedly asked “how he could be charged for theft if he did not have the motorcycle.” He was taken back to the RV park where the would-be victims fingered him as the man who attempted the theft of the motorcycle, court documents said.

White is expected to be arraigned before Judge Heidi Ulbricht in Flathead County District Court on Aug. 11. Attempted theft carries a maximum penalty of 10 years behind bars and a $10,000 fine.

News Editor Derrick Perkins can be reached at 758-4430 or [email protected].