Authorities nab kidnapping suspect after victim escapes in Columbia Falls

Derrick Perkins, Daily Inter Lake, Kalispell, Mont.
·2 min read

Apr. 23—A man accused of kidnapping his ex-girlfriend in Missoula was arrested in Flathead County on Sunday after his victim escaped by bailing out of the vehicle the two were riding in, authorities say.

Adam Joel Whiteman was being held in the county jail on Monday as prosecutors filed one count of felony kidnapping and misdemeanor counts of partner or family member assault and escape against him in Flathead County District Court. An arraignment has not yet been scheduled.

Flathead County Sheriff's Office deputies began searching for Whiteman about 9 a.m., April 21 after his victim phoned authorities from a coffee shop on U.S. 2 in Columbia Heights. She told dispatchers her ex-boyfriend had been holding her hostage in her black 2017 Kia Sorento, according to court documents.

A witness told investigators that they saw a vehicle matching the description slow down before a woman leapt out, fell to her knees and then sprinted toward the coffee shop, court documents said.

The victim said that she agreed to give Whiteman a ride to Browning from Missoula, but opted against the trip when she found him drunk, according to court documents. When she tried to get away from him, he allegedly pushed her around, took her keys and phone, and forced her into the Kia.

The victim tried to escape several times, but Whiteman kept the sport utility vehicle's doors locked, court documents said. She tried to hit him at one point in the trip, prompting him to allegedly threaten her with a bottle of hard lemonade.

Deputies located the Kia abandoned east of Nyack Ranger Station Road between West Glacier and Essex, according to the Sheriff's Office. But BNSF Railway employees reported spotting a man matching Whiteman's description walking along nearby railroad tracks.

After a subsequent foot pursuit that took them into the woods and up the side of a mountain, authorities caught Whiteman using impact munitions, according to court documents and a Sheriff's Office press release.

Taken to Logan Health Medical Center for an evaluation, Whiteman escaped from deputies as they prepared to ferry him to the county jail, court documents said. He allegedly again fled on foot to the Buffalo Hill Golf Course before his eventual capture by Kalispell Police officers.

In a statement issued Monday afternoon, Sheriff Brian Heino thanked the Kalispell Police Department and BNSF Railway for their help in nabbing Whiteman.

If convicted of the most serious charge, felony kidnapping, Whiteman faces between two and 10 years in Montana State Prison and a fine of up to $50,000.

News Editor Derrick Perkins can be reached at 758-4430 or dperkins@dailyinterlake.com.