Washington State Fugitives Appear In Court – $1 Million Material Witness Warrant On Female

Two fugitives from Washington state appeared in Missoula Justice Court via video from the county jail on Friday afternoon.

25 year-old Olajide Fletcher is being held on a $250,000 warrant for an alleged drive-by shooting that occurred on Monday in Moses Lake, Washington. Fletcher fled to Missoula, accompanied by 22 year-old Tia Kelley. Both Fletcher and Kelley were in a black Acura SUV in the parking lot of the CitiLodge on west Broadway on Thursday, when Fletcher attempted to escape by ramming a vehicle filled with U.S. Marshals. A Missoula police officer fired his weapon as Fletcher struck the other vehicle. Police Public Information Officer Travis Welsh said Fletcher was treated for minor injuries due to flying glass.

At his court appearance, Fletcher waived extradition, and was remanded back to the jail on $250,000 bond.

Kelley, who was also wanted by the Moses Lake Police Department, was ordered held on a $1 million material witness warrant for the drive-by shooting. She has refused to waive extradition, meaning she will not voluntarily return to Washington state.

The officer-involved shooting is being investigated by the Office of Criminal Investigations out of Helena. Montana Department of Justice spokesman John Barnes said Chief Mark Brady asked the agency to investigate the incident.

"That investigation has already begun," Barnes said. "As you can imagine, that investigation will include looking into the scene of the incident, analyzing any evidence that's gathered, interviewing witnesses and participants. Once our investigation is complete, we will put together a case file and turn that over to the Missoula County Attorney's Office, and then it will be in their hands."

The incident at the motel closed down part of West Broadway for several hours on Thursday.