Montana Manhunt Ends With Aerial Thermal Detection

When you’re out there deep in the woods outside Whitefish thinking you’re the next Bonnie and Clyde, remember that this is Montana, and up here, even the sky has eyes.

Earlier this week, local law enforcement embarked on a manhunt for whoever could have been the subject of a Netflix docuseries. The morning began with a burglary call in the Whitefish area around 8:15 AM. The suspects hadn’t only come to steal the loot — they also stole a couple of people's rides. It was a classic bad decision.

But here’s the twist: the suspects abandoned one of the stolen vehicles. So either they panicked or discovered that fleeing law and order in Montana isn’t quite so easy as it plays out in the movies. Flathead County Dispatch sent out information to nearby agencies. Not long after, Whitefish Police spotted the stolen vehicles and attempted the ol’ pit maneuver, but the suspects stomped on the skinny pedal and got out of there.

Spoiler: it didn’t shake out for ’em.

It took the combined effort of several agencies: Columbia Falls Police, Montana Highway Patrol, U.S. Forest Service, and the most valuable players of the sky, Two Bear Air. When the suspects abandoned the vehicles in Haskill Basin, officers assembled a full-on search team with drones, K9 units, and aerial thermal imaging.

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Two Bear Air spotted a heat signature near a tree, like some sort of high-tech eagle with night vision. Deputies with a K9 unit rolled up and arrested both suspects,  James Ekvall and Ashley Bruns. No injuries, no shootouts, just straight-up Montana justice on display, cold in the woods.