Seth McAlhany

Though he reportedly tried to flee and provided a fake name, a 22-year-old man was unable to avoid a stack of criminal charges last week.

Seth McAlhany, who has a Bozeman, Montana, address, is facing 11 misdemeanors following his Wednesday arrest in Meeteetse.

Authorities allege McAlhany was driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs that day, saying alcohol, marijuana and apparent cocaine residue were found in his vehicle. They also say he’s wanted on unrelated felony charges in Florida.

“There is a serious risk to the public safety — specifically with the fleeing, driving under the influence, and then … just an extensive pattern of this [behavior],” Deputy Park County Prosecuting Attorney Marina Tucker said in court on Friday, as she argued for bail to be set at $25,000.

McAlhany didn’t make his own bond argument, but pleaded not guilty to the charges. He remained in custody on the $25,000 bond on Monday.

Routine stop turns into chase

It was around 5 p.m. Wednesday that Trooper Tarleton Capelli says he saw a Chevy Suburban traveling near Meeteetse on Wyo. Highway 120. The northbound SUV was towing a pop-up camper with no visible registration, so Capelli tried to pull it over.

However, Capelli says the driver — later identified as McAlhany — turned into a nearby parking lot and made several laps in an attempt to avoid the trooper. McAlhany then got back onto the highway and started heading south, hitting 45 mph in the 30 mph zone, Capelli recounted in an affidavit.

The driver eventually stopped on Dutch Street and ran away on foot.

“Seth [McAlhany] and I both ran down a hill, where I then caught Seth and escorted him to the ground,” Capelli wrote. The trooper said he injured his knee during the pursuit and had to go to a doctor, while he noted a small cut on McAlhany’s hand and dried blood on his lips.

Drugs and alcohol

The trooper says McAlhany smelled like burnt marijuana, his eyes were bloodshot and watery and his speech was slurred.

When Capelli searched the Suburban, he reportedly found a marijuana grinder, a little over an ounce of different strains of marijuana in dispensary bags and “numerous open containers of alcohol.”

“Some of the open containers were still cold and had small amounts of liquid in them,” Capelli wrote.

He also reportedly found a green plastic bag containing a tenth of a gram of a white powdery substance that was “consistent with cocaine.”

McAlhany declined to take any sobriety tests, but the trooper obtained a search warrant for a blood sample, which will be tested for alcohol and controlled substances.

A case of mistaken identity

McAlhany identified himself as “Quinn,” and had an ID with the name “Quinn Wright,” but troopers determined it was a fake. After spending “several hours” trying to learn the suspect’s true identity, another trooper found McAlhany’s real name on a package in the vehicle, Capelli said. 

“Once we found Seth’s full identity,” Capelli wrote, “We found that his driver’s license was revoked and that had a nationwide warrant out of Florida.”

In court on Friday, prosecutor Tucker said the warrant is for “a burglary, grand theft, fraud, DUI, no valid ID and a hit and run property damage, all stemming from one incident.”

The affidavit says a trooper also spent several hours checking the SUV’s incomplete title and incorrect license plate to ensure the vehicle wasn’t stolen.

Next steps

At Friday’s hearing, McAlhany indicated that he plans to hire his own attorney.

If he posts the $25,000 in cash, McAlhany will need to abstain from alcohol, stay away from bars and enroll in the Park County Treatment Court’s pretrial drug and alcohol testing program, among other conditions.

McAlhany said he understood, but “I’m just a bit confused as to how I would complete all that if I’m not a resident,” he said.

“Well, I guess you’re going to have to stick around here,” Circuit Court Judge Joey Darrah responded.

McAlhany faces charges of driving while under the influence of a combination of alcohol and drugs, possession of marijuana, possession of cocaine, having an open container of alcohol in a moving vehicle, fleeing police, interference with a peace officer, fraud on a driver’s license application, driving with a suspended license and driving with no valid auto insurance, license plate or registration.

A trial is tentatively set for Jan. 21.