A man is facing charges following a standoff with law enforcement earlier this month near Kalispell.
Steven Personette has been charged with felony assault with a weapon.
According to court documents, on Feb. 12, 2020 officers were dispatched to the area of Fourth Street West and Sixth Ave West in Kalispell for a report of an assault.
On arrival officers met Nina Reynolds who, according to court documents, is Personette’s girlfriend.
Reynolds told officers that Personette allegedly been fighting with her and hit her with his truck.
The officer in documents reported that she had bruises and marks on her face. Reynolds told officers that she thought Personette was going to kill her.
After speaking with residents and witnesses in the area they confirmed with officers that they saw a female being beating by a male inside a car that matched Personette’s description.
The female got out of the vehicle and the male tried to run her over with his vehicle. The male ended up striking the female according to the witness.
She was treated at a hospital and is said to be in "OK" condition. It was determined that she had been the victim of numerous assaults by the suspect over the past several weeks.
Flathead County Sheriff's Office Undersheriff Wayne Dubois says that officers tracked the suspect to a trailer park off Whitefish Stage Road.
Authorities had reason to believe that the suspect was in possession of at had access to a handgun and potentially scoped riffles.
The suspect did not come out of the residence despite repeated commands by officers, so the SWAT team was called in.
The SWAT team deployed flash-bangs outside of the residence, and the suspect surrendered peacefully after a standoff that lasted more than two hours.
Personette will appear in court at the end of February for an arraignment hearing.
