Lawrence Brasda signed a plea deal for three separate cases and changed his plea in district court last week.
He’s scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 4.
One of the cases stems from a late September 2024 incident that had begun as a kidnapping investigation.
Brasda was charged in that incident, bonded out of jail on a $20,000 bond and failed to appear for his initial court appearance on Sept. 30.
Brasda arrested after car chase, skips bail [2024]
A warrant was issued for his arrest and he led the Montana Highway Patrol on a chase near Buffalo in Fergus County that they terminated, Sheriff Jesse Slaughter told The Electric last year.
Brasda was charged with a felony count of criminal endangerment and misdemeanor counts of stop sign violation, fleeing from or eluding a peace officer, reckless driving, no insurance first offense and driving without a valid drivers license.
In that case, Brasda agreed to plead guilty to two counts of criminal endangerment and fleeing from or eluding a peace officer.
For those charges, the County Attorney’s Office is recommending a 10 year sentence to state prison for both criminal endangerment counts, with five years suspended, and a year in county jail for the fleeing charge.
Police make arrests in weekend incident [2023]
The charges stem from a Sept. 27 investigation into a potential kidnapping and deputies were looking for a late 90s model Chevrolet pickup.
Slaughter said that 12 deputies and officers from CCSO and the Great Falls Police Department were looking for the pickup.
A deputy saw a vehicle matching the description of the suspect vehicle in a University of Providence parking lot. The deputy activated his emergency lights and the the truck exited the parking lot at a high rate of speed, according to court documents.
The deputy pursued since there were reports of a possible kidnapping and the driver was later identified as Brasda, according to court documents.
Brasda didn’t stop and continued driving at a high rate of speed, disregarding the stop sign at 13th Street and 33rd Avenue South, traveling through residential neighborhoods at speeds in excess of 80 miles per hour and drove through at least one residential yard.
Brasda initially evaded the deputy, but his vehicle was located in an alley behind 1618 20th Ave. S. and he was found hiding on the roof of the residence, according to court documents.
Brasda had no liability insurance for the vehicle and did not possess a valid driver’s license when he was found, according to court documents.
“By driving at such reckless speeds through residential neighborhoods, Brasda posed a substantial risk on injury or death to other drivers on the road and pedestrians,” prosecutors wrote in their charging documents.
Brasa has four previous felony convictions and four other pending felony charges.
In the other two cases included in the plea agreement, Brasda has agreed to plead guilty to felony counts:
- aggravated burglary
- strangulation of a partner or family member
For aggravated burglary, the county attorney’s office is recommending a sentence of 15 years in prison with five suspended.
For the strangulation charge, the county attorney’s office is recommending a five year prison sentence with no time suspended.
They’re also recommending anger management and a chemical dependency evaluation with Brasa following all of those recommendations.
Prosecutors are leaving the decision to the court on whether those sentences should be consecutive or concurrent.
