Update 1:40 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 18
The off-duty Yellowstone County deputy who struck a house in Billings Heights Saturday and fled the scene suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound before he was taken to the hospital, Sheriff Mike Linder said Tuesday in a news release.
Linder identified the deputy as Jason Thompson, 31, a five-year veteran of the agency and a detective in a local task force.
The incident was reported around 2 a.m. Saturday at a residence near the corner of Hawthorn Lane and Barrett Road. The driver, identified as Thompson, drove into a house and fled the scene. Responders followed his tracks to his residence nearby, and he was taken to a nearby hospital, according to Linder.
Linder said he would not release information about Thompson's condition.
The Montana Highway Patrol is investigating the crash, and the Billings Police Department is investigating the shooting, according to Linder.
BILLINGS - An off-duty Yellowstone County sheriff's deputy was hospitalized after allegedly driving his car into a home in the Billings Heights early Saturday morning, then fleeing the scene.
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According to the Montana Highway Patrol, which is investigating the incident, a call was received around 2 a.m. Saturday of a vehicle striking a home at the intersection of Hawthorne Lane and Barrett Road.
Troopers said the injured deputy was found at a home nearby and taken to a hospital.
The highway patrol did not identify the deputy, nor state if he will face charges for leaving the scene. Yellowstone County Sheriff Mike Linder declined to identify the deputy or his condition, referring questions to the highway patrol.
Neighbors told MTN Monday that roads in the area get rough during the winter.
Steve Voltz, who lives across the street, said he heard the crash, looked out, and didn’t initially see anything until emergency vehicles arrived.
"I looked out. I really didn't see anything at that time until the ambulances, you know, came," Voltz said.
He added that snow had not yet started falling, so the road conditions had not worsened.
"I mean, it, it's not that it was a blinding, you know, low visibility or anything," he said.
