Man faces felony DUI charges after allegedly running into North Fork home
Chris Peterson | Hungry Horse News | UPDATED 1 year AGO
A Columbia Falls man who already had multiple DUI convictions faces another charge of felony DUI after leading Columbia Falls Police on a chase up the North Fork where the man ran into the porch of a house.
According to court documents, on Aug. 7, at about 10:35 p.m. Columbia Falls Police officer Todd Hall was following Paul Eric Sorensen’s white SUV on First Avenue East North in the city. When Sorensen came to the stop sign at Railroad Street, he allegedly failed to make a complete stop and drove up Railroad Street going 55 mph in a 25 mph zone.
Hall put on his emergency lights and pursued Sorensen up the North Fork Road, as Sorensen allegedly drove erratically, going about 38 mph and weaving and braking as he went for more than a mile.
Sorensen then made a turn into an eastbound driveway up the North Fork Road, narrowly splitting between trees as he drove behind a home before hitting the support pole of the rear porch. The pole came off the house and hit Sorensen’s rig, damaging the front bumper and the mirror.
By then Sorensen had finally stopped. Hall told him to put his hands up at gunpoint but Sorensen ran to the front of the house. Hall used his Taser on Sorensen, but Sorensen stood up and ran away. Hall hit him again with the Taser and Sorensen tried to get up and roll over on his back, reaching into his sweatshirt pocket with his right hand. Hall then punched Sorensen in the head. Sorensen still struggled but Hall eventually got cuffs on him.
Hall allegedly smelled a strong odor of alcohol on Sorensen’s breath and Sorensen was taken into custody. Police later got a warrant for a blood draw and toxicology results are pending.
Sorensen previously had DUI convictions in California in 2007; in Hawaii in 2018 and Kalispell in 2022, according to court documents.
All told, Sorensen had eight previous DUI convictions, Columbia Falls Police Chief Chad Stephens told city council last week.
Sorensen now faces a felony DUI charge, along with misdemeanor charges for resisting arrest and fleeing a police officer.
He was released on $50,000 bail and is scheduled to be arraigned Sept. 4 in Flathead County District Court.