Escapee gets four years for assaulting officers

A man who fought with police attempting to arrest him in Havre - where he ended up after fleeing a Helena prerelease center - will spend four years in prison in addition to time for another sentence from Yellowstone County.

Douglas W. Jensen, born in 1992, was arrested in Havre June 23 and charged with assaulting an officer, trespassing and obstructing a peace officer.

Monday in state District Court in Havre, Judge Dan Boucher sentenced Jensen to four years in prison on the felony assaulting an officer, to run consecutively with his sentence in the Yellowstone County case.

Jensen pleaded guilty to all charges at his first court appearance, July 1.

Boucher said Jensen has an extensive criminal history for someone as young as he is.

Boucher also sentenced Jensen to six months, all suspended, on each of the misdemeanors.

Jensen was sentenced to three years with part suspended in Billings in 2012 for a 2010 burglary. He told medical providers at Northern Montana Hospital the morning of his arrest that he had fled from the prerelease center.

That day, a man called Havre police at 1:28 a.m. to say he had just chased a man out of his house, and saw him running toward the Boys & Girls Club of the Hi-Line on the 500 Block of 1st Avenue.

An officer who responded saw Jensen, who matched the description of the trespasser, running up an alley near Blue Pony Stadium, then another officer spotted him near the intersection of Montana Avenue and 7th Street. Jensen gave several different names to the officer and said he was 17.

After the officer took Jensen to the Havre Police Department, Jensen appeared to have passed out at the 24/7 Sobriety Station.

When the officer approached Jensen, he awoke and began yelling at the officers, then rolled onto his back and began to kick violently, kicking the officer and twisting his ankle. Another officer tried to gain control of Jensen, and the other officer attempted to approach and was kicked in the chest twice.

Jensen at that time attempted to bite one of the officers and began trying to punch him, before the officers were able to detain him, when Jensen then threw up and appeared to pass out.