Kalispell man accused of kidnapping, assault

A Kalispell man was jailed recently after he was accused of kidnapping his girlfriend and assaulting her during a Christmas Eve incident.

Jacob Christian Palmer is facing three charges, including a felony count of kidnapping, and two misdemeanors, partner or family member assault and driving under the influence.

According to the criminal complaint, a deputy from the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office responded to a Queens Court residence at about 7:17 p.m. Monday, Dec. 24 after a 911 hangup call. When a deputy spoke to several witnesses, they said Palmer arrived at the residence earlier in the evening and was drunk to the point where he slurred his speech. The witnesses also said Palmer entered the home without permission and forced the victim out of the home and into his black pickup truck.

Neighbors confirmed the account of the witnesses and said they saw Palmer back into a tree before speeding away. At that point, the Kalispell Police Department was notified. A few minutes later another eyewitness called 911 to report a black pickup truck driving south on Fifth Avenue West. She said she noticed the truck because she could hear screaming and shouting from the truck. She said she saw a male driver swinging at the woman and the passenger door open while the truck drove west on West Idaho Street.

According to the complaint, a Kalispell police officer located the pickup truck, stopped it and identified the driver as Palmer and identified the victim. When a sergeant from the Sheriff’s Office arrived, he noticed an odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from Palmer and noticed he had glassy eyes and slurred speech.

When Palmer, who was on probation, was ordered to give a preliminary breath test, it registered 0.223, nearly three times the legal limit. The victim was taken to the hospital for treatment of her injuries, which included having clumps of her hair pulled out, bruises and scratches to various parts of her body.

The victim told the sergeant that Palmer had caused her injuries and she was afraid she was going to die.

Palmer is lodged in the Flathead County Jail. He faces a maximum term of 11 1/2 years imprisonment.

Reporter Scott Shindledecker may be reached at 406-758-4441 or sshindledecker@dailyinterlake.com