Big Sky Student Arrested for SRO Incident Charged as an Adult
A 17 year-old Big Sky High School student was charged as an adult in Missoula District Court on Tuesday, according to Deputy Missoula County Attorney Jennifer Clark.
“Marvin Seastrunk is being charged as an adult due to District Court rules that require he be charged as an adult, in charges such as felony criminal possession of dangerous drugs,” Clark said.
A press release from the Department of Criminal Investigation, Department of Justice outlined the events of that day.
‘On March 16, the school resource officer (SRO) and school staff were conducting an investigation after receiving a tip that a student brought a gun to school. While a male student was being questioned, he ran away into the parking lot and was chased by the SRO. The student jumped into his vehicle and appeared to attempt to run over the SRO, prompting the officer to fire his duty weapon around 12:45 pm. The student drove down South Avenue and then Reserve Street with Missoula Police officers in pursuit, until he crashed into a vehicle on the lot of Denny Menholt University Honda, located a little more than a mile away from the school. The uninjured student, 17, was taken into custody by Missoula Police Department officers. He is being held at the local juvenile detention center. A handgun suspected to be involved in the incident was found by a citizen along the chase route near South Avenue and Old Fort Road. The handgun has been recovered by law enforcement. The SRO, a Missoula Police Department officer assigned to Big Sky High School, is currently on paid administrative leave per department policy pending the completion of DCI’s investigation. The Missoula Police Department is also conducting its own internal review. Once DCI’s investigation is complete, the case file will be sent to the Missoula County Attorney’s Office.’
Clark outlined the possible penalties that the juvenile could face if convicted on all charges.
“He is facing up to 35 years in the Montana State Prison, plus an additional six months in the Missoula County Detention Center,” she said. “Because he is a juvenile charged as an adult, the court must hold a transfer hearing within 30 days to determine if this case should remain in District Court. At the transfer hearing, the court will look at the youth’s history and make a determination if youth court can serve to protect the needs of the community, or if this case need to stay as an adult charge, and that will be up to the judge.”
No one was injured during the incident.