Jail escapee a former tribal investigator

BILLINGS (AP) -- Roosevelt County officials say a man who escaped from the jail earlier this week is a former criminal investigator with the Fort Peck Tribe Department of Law and Justice.

Robert WarClub was discovered missing from the jail in Wolf Point early Tuesday. He was serving a three-year tribal sentence for dealing drugs.

Sheriff's officials say the 48-year-old WarClub boarded a bus in Glendive on Tuesday. The bus arrived in Billings early Wednesday before continuing on to Denver. It was unknown if WarClub was on the bus when it arrived in Colorado, but surveillance video showed he did make it as far as Sheridan, Wyo.

Sheriff Freedom Crawford says state officials have been called in to investigate how WarClub escaped. He says there's a reward for information leading to WarClub's arrest.

Browning man pleads guilty in child's death

GREAT FALLS (AP) -- A 23-year-old Browning man has pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter for driving drunk and backing over a 2-year-old child in a driveway.

David P. Bearchild pleaded guilty Thursday before U.S. District Judge Sam Haddon in Great Falls. Bearchild faces up to eight years in prison when he is sentenced on Oct. 30.

Prosecutors say Bearchild had been drinking for hours on April 26 before stopping at a relative's house. He sat in the truck while talking to someone. When he put his pickup in reverse to leave, he backed over the child, causing fatal injuries.

Bearchild's blood-alcohol level at the time was 0.21, nearly three times the limit at which a person is considered legally drunk.

Woman pleads guilty to bank fraud, ID theft

GREAT FALLS (AP) -- A 46-year-old Great Falls woman has pleaded guilty to forging the checks of a hospitalized woman.

Margarita Alvarez Gonzalez pleaded guilty Thursday to bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. She faces up to 32 years in prison when U.S. District Judge Sam Haddon sentences her on Oct. 30.

Prosecutors say a Great Falls woman allowed Gonzalez, who was the daughter of a friend, to stay with her for a few months during the spring of 2007.

The woman was hospitalized on July 7, 2007. She slipped into a coma and was placed on life support on Aug. 1 and died on Aug. 18.

Prosecutors say Gonzalez took several books of checks from the woman's apartment and wrote $3,800 in fraudulent checks at local businesses between early July and Aug. 21, 2007.

Wolves kill 2 llamas

MISSOULA (AP) -- Wolves have killed two llamas and injured a third in the Bitterroot Valley south of Florence.

USDA Wildlife Services confirmed the depredations on Thursday.

The Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks says wolves from the Brooks Creek pack were believed to be involved. Wolves from the same pack killed two calves and chased others, in two separate incidents earlier this month on a neighboring property.

FWP officials say the history of depredations and the continued presence of wolves in the area have prompted them to authorize Wildlife Services to kill up to four wolves in the area where the depredations occurred.

The agency says it will continue to monitor the area and pursue non-lethal methods to prevent further depredations by hazing wolves to higher elevations, away from livestock.

Wolf found dead west of Missoula

MISSOULA (AP) -- State wildlife officials say a gray wolf found dead along Interstate 90 west of Missoula was hit by a car.

Workers with the Montana Department of Transportation found the wolf Monday near Lookout Pass.

The state Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks says it has confirmed that the wolf had injuries consistent with being struck by a vehicle.

The agency says the wolf was an adult female. It may have been a member of the Silver Lake pack, a group of wolves suspected of living in the area of the Montana/ Idaho border near Lookout Pass.

Copper wire stolen from storage yard

BUTTE (AP) -- Police are investigating two thefts that occurred at NorthWestern Energy's storage yard in Butte.

Copper wire valued at $4,500 was stolen from the storage yard, just off South Montana Street.

Police say it appears the wire was cut into lengths and then dragged to the south end of the yard. The thefts occurred over the past two weeks.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Crimestoppers tip line, at 406-782-7336.

Wax statue of Knievel on display in Butte

BUTTE (AP) -- A wax figure of Evel Knievel from Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum in Las Vegas is on display this weekend, as Butte celebrates Evel Knievel Days.

The replica of the daredevil was transported to Butte in pieces and reassembled. It features Knievel in the mid-70s with a red, white and blue jumper.

The wax figure is at Metal Sports Bar and Grill. Viewing it is free. Pictures with the daredevil cost $10.

Knievel died in November at the age of 69.

Goat, sheep producers sought for directory

Montana goat and sheep producers and industry service providers are being asked to provide information for an updated directory.

The directory, published by the Montana Department of Agriculture, provides potential buyers with an all-breed listing of Montana's goats and sheep. It also serves as a reference to related businesses.

Individuals and companies interested in being included in the new goat and sheep directory must fill out an ''inclusion form,'' even if they were listed in an earlier edition. The deadline for returning the form is Sept. 8.

The form can be downloaded from the agency's Web site at www.agr.mt.gov/

business/sheepform09.doc.

For more information, contact Marty Earnheart with the department's Agricultural Development Division, at 406-444-2402 or mearnheart@mt.gov.