GREAT FALLS — Alfred Joseph Smith, wanted in connection with a homicide in Cut Bank, was arrested on Monday. Smith was arrested in Fort Benton on Monday afternoon.
Smith was wanted on a charge of deliberate homicide after a person's body was found in an apartment in Cut Bank on Saturday.
The identity of the person whose body was found has not yet been released, nor has the cause of death.
The police department said that at about 2:25 p.m. on Monday, Glacier County Dispatch received a tip from the public regarding the case, stating that the suspect’s vehicle was seen in Fort Benton.
Deputies from Chouteau County located the vehicle and initiated a traffic stop; Smith was arrested without incident on a warrant for deliberate homicide; he is being held on bail of $1,000,000.
The initial news release from the Cut Bank Police Department said that Smith was traveling with Natasha Siliezar; she was also in the vehicle and is now being held for questioning in Chouteau County.
Cut Bank Police Chief Michael Schultz in a news release thanked his officers, the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation, U.S. Marshals Service, and the Glacier County Sheriff’s Office, and added: “This arrest would not have happened so quickly without the help from the public,” said Chief Michael Schultz. “We appreciate all the calls, emails, and messages that eventually led to the arrest in this matter.”
Witnesses have told MTN News that Smith and Siliezare were taken into custody at or near the Joyco convenience store in Fort Benton, and the vehicle that they were reported to be traveling in was seen being towed from the scene.
We will update you as we get more information.
