OLDTOWN — An Oldtown resident is facing charges after allegedly fleeing officials and exceeding posted speed limits and failing to stop and use a turn signal June 25.

Kelly James Miller, 37, is charged with a felony attempt to elude a police officer, for which he could face up to five years in jail and/or up to a $50,000 fine. Miller is being held at the Bonner County Jail on a $50,000 bond.  

Court records indicate that county officials first recognized Miller’s car at a Mobil gas station in Oldtown, noting that he had a probation violation warrant pending in a prior misdemeanor case. In an attempt to properly identify Miller, the official drove toward the vehicle the man was in.  

Documents show that as the county officer approached the vehicle, the individual in question fled the gas station, failing to use a turn signal or stop before entering the highway.  

The county officer followed the vehicle, using visual and audible to alert the driver to pull over. A probable cause affidavit indicates that the driver exceeded the posted speed limit by over 30 mph at times, with speeds exceeding no more than 100 mph. The chase went on for two-and-a-half miles, crossing the state line into Newport, Wash.  

The officer went back to the gas station to review video footage, finding that the suspect had left a passenger at the gas station.  

According to court records, the passenger identified the individual as Miller, saying that they had gone to the gas station to get milk. While the passenger was in the gas station, she told police officials that Miller had pointed at the sheriff's car approaching him, to which he then sped off. 

The passenger told law enforcement that she believed Miller suffered from schizophrenia but wasn’t sure if it was diagnosed by a doctor, according to court records.  

Miller was later arrested July 5. 

He is expected to appear in court for a preliminary hearing July 16 on the charges.  

A preliminary hearing is a court proceeding to determine if there’s sufficient evidence to move forward with the case. The hearing can provide the defendant with a brief preview of the prosecution’s case. Waiving a preliminary hearing has the same result as a judge ruling that there is enough evidence to proceed with the case.