Manhunt under way for man who fired at deputies

A former Kalispell man with a long criminal past shot at sheriff's deputies after fleeing from them in Missoula County on Sunday morning.

David Burgert ran from deputies after an 11:50 a.m. encounter near the Fort Fizzle Historic Site picnic area near Lolo on U.S. 12. Deputies were reportedly attempting to check on a person in a vehicle there, according to The Associated Press.

Police say the chase ended near Wagon Mountain when Burgert fired at officers and ran into the woods.

The incident sparked an extensive manhunt for Burgert in the mountains west of Lolo.

The search for Burgert, involving 65 personnel, was unsuccessful on Monday and law officers as far north as Flathead County were on the lookout for the armed fugitive.

Police say Burgert is 6-foot-2, 230 pounds and is carrying a handgun and possibly a rifle.

Burgert, now 47, was sentenced to two concurrent seven-year terms in a federal medical center in Rochester, Minn., in September 2003. His release date from prison was not immediately available.

When he was sentenced to prison, Burgert was ordered to be on three years of supervised probation after his release. That three-year time frame still is in effect today. While on probation, he is not to be in Flathead County without the permission of his probation officer.

Burgert was identified as the leader of Project 7, an organization of Flathead County residents who amassed weapons and allegedly plotted to kill local officials. Project 7 was described as a local militia cell with ties to other militia groups. 

Burgert has consistently denied that he plotted to kill anyone. He said he and his companions were devout Christians and were not plotting to kill judges, police officers or attorneys. 

In September 2003, Burgert was sentenced to seven years in federal prison, stemming from his September 2002 federal indictment on charges of possession of illegal machine gun and being a felon in possession of a firearm. The indictment came about after his Feb. 8, 2002, arrest after an all-night standoff with law enforcement officers west of Kalispell.

At his sentencing on the federal charges, the judge acknowledged Burgert's paranoia and delusions, after Burgert's attorney asked for less prison time based on Burgert's diminished mental capacity.

A psychologist testified at sentencing that Burgert was depressed and suffered paranoid personality disorder. Burgert was preoccupied and obsessed with law enforcement officials in Flathead County and believed they would eventually try to kill him, Dr. Dudley Dana testified.

On Feb. 8, 2002, Burgert had been charged with felony bail jumping after he failed to appear at a court hearing on a January 2001 charge of assaulting a sheriff's deputy after a confrontation at his Kalispell home. Police had followed Robert Cesnik to Burgert's house that day to cite Cesnik for an illegal light on his truck. 

In January 2002, Burgert went on the run, camping in the woods north of Whitefish. His wife reported him missing during that time and accused police of killing him.

In February 2002, officers spotted Burgert with Tracy Brockway in a vehicle driving west of Kalispell. Brockway drove into a ditch and was arrested. Burgert ran into the woods and was pursued throughout the night. The next morning he threatened suicide and surrendered to police.

It was later reported that he'd been with Brockway, his girlfriend, for about a month.

He pleaded guilty to felony bail jumping in October 2002 and the charges of assaulting an officer and obstructing an officer were dropped. He received a suspended 10-year jail sentence on the bail jumping charge. 

Burgert had a checkered past with Flathead County law enforcement, as well as convictions in two other states before his federal sentencing. 

He'd been convicted of burglary both in Colorado and Alabama and for felony theft in Flathead County, along with a host of other offenses in Flathead County

In November 2001, he was arrested on misdemeanor charges of resisting arrest and obstructing an officer in Kalispell. He was convicted on those charges in June 2002 and sentenced to a year in jail. The sentence was stayed, pending an appeal.