Area man charged after vehicle chase

A Box Elder man was jailed on drug and other charges following a high speed chase early Wednesday.

Darrin W. Caplette, 21, led a Hill County sheriff's deputy and Rocky Boy police on a vehicle chase through Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation at speeds of up to 100 mph, according to the criminal complaint filed in Hill County Justice Court.

During the chase, Caplette threw a knife and bags of marijuana and crystal methamphetamine out the window of the 1976 Pontiac he was driving, the charging document alleges.

Caplette has been charged with two felonies - possession of dangerous drugs and criminal endangerment. He is also charged with four misdemeanors - possession of marijuana, driving with a suspended or revoked license, fleeing or eluding police, and failure to carry proof of insurance. He was in the Hill County Detention Center today on $50,000 bond.

Two men who were passengers in the car Caplette was driving have not been charged.

A sheriff's deputy patrolling Box Elder shortly before 1 a.m. Wednesday attempted to conduct a traffic stop on Caplette's car near Box Elder Schools after learning that Caplette had a suspended license, according to the criminal complaint. The vehicle continued to travel west toward Rocky Boy agency, and then slowed down with its turn signal on, the document said.

As the vehicle crossed into the reservation, it appeared as if it were going to stop, but then "accelerated very rapidly," according to the complaint. The deputy radioed that he was in pursuit of the vehicle, and dispatchers informed Rocky Boy police, the document said. Almost immediately into the chase, the deputy noticed a blue object thrown out the window of the Pontiac, the complaint said.

On the reservation, Rocky Boy police joined the chase, which led down a dirt road. At one point, the deputy saw the passenger door of the Pontiac open.

One of the passengers later told the deputy that "he was going to jump from the vehicle as he was afraid for his life," the charging document said.

The vehicle came to a stop a short while later, and Caplette was arrested, the charging document said. While returning to Havre, the deputy stopped and searched the area where he had seen the blue object thrown from the window of the Pontiac, according to the document.

On the south side of the road, the deputy found a blue stocking cap that contained a knife and two marijuana roaches, the complaint said. Nearby, he found two plastic bags of marijuana weighing 49 grams and three smaller bags containing crystal meth, according to the document.