Law roundup: Motorcyclist dies in wreck; man arrested after chase

A motorcyclist died after colliding with the rear of a pickup truck at a busy intersection in North Kalispell earlier this week, authorities say.  

Michael D. Boehm, 57, of Columbia Falls struck the Toyota Tacoma about 9:11 p.m., Sept. 1., just as it was beginning to move south through the intersection of U.S. 93 and Rose Crossing, according to the Montana Highway Patrol. The pickup was stopped for a red light immediately before the collision, authorities said.  

Boehm, who was riding a Honda motorcycle, was not wearing a helmet, officials said. He was taken to Logan Health Medical Center following the crash and died the next day.

Drugs are suspected as a factor in the wreck, officials said. Road conditions were described as dry and bare.  

The two occupants of the Tacoma, a 35-year-old woman and an 11-year-old boy, were both uninjured.

Separately, a man was apprehended in Columbia Falls after a two-minute pursuit in town.

On Sept. 3, at about 11 p.m., a Columbia Falls police officer attempted to stop a reckless driver near Columbia Drive and 13th St. West. 

The driver failed to yield to the officer and led him on an approximately 2-minute pursuit driving recklessly through Columbia Falls neighborhoods. 

The driver crashed into an unoccupied building on the corner of 10th Ave West and 9th Street. 

The driver, Draven Damian Craig, 22, was arrested at the location of the collision. 

During the subsequent investigation, officers learned the driver had four prior DUI convictions since August of 2025, with the most recent in May of 2026. 

The suspect was booked into the Flathead County Detention Center on several charges including a new charge of Felony DUI, his 5th overall DUI, and felony aggravated eluding as well as several other charges.