Woman denies guilt in 100 mph chase

A Havre woman — who officers say passed a police car during a high-speed chase in Havre Aug. 29 — pleaded not guilty to multiple charges this week.

Dakota Rose Greshock, who was 19 at the time of the chase, faces felony charges of criminal endangerment and assaulting a peace officer and misdemeanor charges of fleeing from a peace officer, partner or family member assault and possession of drug paraphernalia.

District Judge Dan Boucher set a scheduling hearing, which usually includes setting a trial date, for Oct. 3.

According to a charging document, the chase began when Greshock’s mother called 911 at 4:39 p.m. Friday, Aug. 29, screaming that her daughter was “driving crazy and was going to crash.”

The dispatcher heard someone else say during the call that she wanted to get into a high-speed chase, the document says.

The dispatcher told officers that the car at that time was on 2nd Street near the Duck Inn, the document says.

By the time officers found the blue Buick, it was proceeding south on 16th Avenue West near the U.S. Border Patrol Station, the document says. The suspect was passing vehicles at a high rate of speed in a no-passing zone, driving in the oncoming traffic lane.

The officer turned on his emergency lights and siren, but the vehicle continued driving south, the document says.

Officers pursued the vehicle at high rates of speed through residential and commercial areas of Havre with high levels of traffic and pedestrians, with Hill County sheriff’s deputies, Montana Highway Patrol troopers and a Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks game warden joining in the pursuit, the document says.

The vehicle eventually crossed over the viaduct on 7th Avenue, turned onto 1st Street North, then turned back onto 1st Street via the railroad crossing at 22nd Avenue East. At that time the vehicle nearly hit two Hill County Sheriff’s Office patrol vehicles, with officers saying they believe the driver was trying to hit the sheriff’s vehicles.

The vehicle continued westbound back into Havre, passing a police officer at a speed of 97 mph, the document says. That officer continued the pursuit, with Greshock driving the vehicle at 50 mph and passing through the school zone by Lincoln-McKinley Primary School on the 800 Block of 3rd Street and by Carpenter Park on the 1000 Block of 1st Street, with officers reporting children were at both the school playground and at the park as she drove by.

Greshock drove the vehicle through four 15 mph school zones during the pursuit, the document says, Highland Park Early Primary, Head Start and Havre Middle School as well as Lincoln-McKinley.

Greshock then drove down 2nd Street, and drove over a set of stop-stick spikes on the 900 Block of that street then pulled into the Gary & Leo’s Fresh Foods parking lot and stopped, the document says. When officers arrested Greshock, they also found a pipe of a type commonly used to smoke drugs, the document says.

The officers interviewed the two passengers in the car, with Greshock’s mother saying she thought her daughter was trying to kill everyone in the car.