High-speed pursuit of stolen Subaru ends with Joseph Wayne Seymour arrest

A high-speed pursuit that began with a stolen-vehicle report in central Helena ended with the arrest of Joseph Wayne Seymour, 43, after a Montana Highway Patrol trooper used a PIT maneuver on the Cedar Street interstate overpass to stop the fleeing car. Officers located the vehicle around 3:50 p.m. near the 3600 block of U.S. Highway 12 in the Broadwater Hotsprings area, and court documents indicate speeds were clocked at over 100 miles per hour during a pursuit that traveled into East Helena and back to Helena.

The initial stolen-vehicle call that preceded the chase came at about 2:15 p.m. from the 1600 block of 11th Avenue in the area of Dive Bakery and MT Glass Liquor, when the vehicle owner reported leaving a running car with a dog inside and later finding both the car and dog missing. The dog was recovered safe and returned to the owner after officers stopped the vehicle, court records show.

Prosecutors filed multiple charges against Seymour following his Monday afternoon initial appearance in Lewis and Clark County Justice Court. The felony counts include theft of a light vehicle, attempted burglary, kidnapping, criminal endangerment, and aggravated fleeing or eluding a peace officer. Misdemeanor counts listed in the charging documents include obstructing a peace officer, resisting arrest, criminal possession of drug paraphernalia, and driving under the influence - second offense.

Helena Police Department activity logs for Feb. 15 show a busy day across the city, with 44 calls for service recorded. The department logged two stolen-vehicle reports that day; at 8:43 a.m. a 2010 white Subaru Outback with Montana plate 520815C was reported stolen near the 600 block of Cannon Street, and the later 2:15 p.m. stolen-vehicle report set in motion the pursuit that resulted in Seymour’s arrest. Available records do not explicitly tie the Subaru reported at 8:43 a.m. to the vehicle involved in the afternoon chase.

Other incidents across Helena on Feb. 15 included a warrant arrest of a 31-year-old man near the 1600 block of Railroad Avenue, a 54-year-old man arrested for possession of dangerous drugs and driving under the influence near the 3100 block of North Sanders Street at 12:57 p.m., and multiple thefts and criminal mischief reports. Specific items reported that day include a license plate theft near the 700 block of Darby Street at 10:21 a.m., items taken from a parked vehicle near the 1000 block of Hollins Avenue at 11:48 a.m., a theft from a business near the 2700 block of Prospect Avenue at 1:28 p.m., criminal mischief to a motor vehicle near the 600 block of Pointe Avenue at 3:09 p.m., a business theft near the 2900 block of North Sanders Street at 8:57 p.m., criminal mischief near the 2000 block of Gold Avenue at 9:14 p.m., and suspicious activity near the 100 block of Meadow Drive at 9:16 p.m.

HPD emphasized the role of partner agencies in the response, with department leadership noting, “in these high-stakes situations, having the support of other agencies to assist in responding is critical,” as quoted in KTVH. The charges against Seymour are allegations; court records available to date show his initial appearance but do not list bond amounts or a next court date.