Whitefish police chief roughed up in Halloween assault

Whitefish Police Chief Bill Dial was left with a pair of black eyes and a broken nose after he was allegedly assaulted by a Columbia Falls man on Halloween night.

According to a police report, Caleb Buzzell, 25, was seen stumbling across Spokane Avenue near First Interstate Bank in downtown Whitefish on Oct. 31 at about 8:50 p.m. He reportedly dropped his phone and was nearly hit by a vehicle when a passerby called 911.

Dial said he responded to the scene alone and asked Buzzell if he had a ride home.

“He was completely intoxicated,” Dial said.

Buzzell then became belligerent, Dial said, and began swearing and screaming.

As the incident escalated, Dial said he attempted to use a Taser to subdue Buzzell, but the device failed to work.

Dial said he was attempting to physically apprehend Buzzell when he was punched in the face.

“He caught me off my guard,” Dial said. “It was like a basketball coming at you and you don’t have time to react.”

A few people nearby saw the incident and ran over to help, Dial said. They held Buzzell down as a second officer arrived on scene.

Buzzell was arrested and charged with felony assault of a police officer, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. He currently is being held in the Flathead County Detention Center. His arraignment is set for Nov. 13 in Flathead District Court.

The altercation left Dial with a fractured nose, but he said he’s recovering well.

This is the second time Buzzell has allegedly assaulted an officer.

He was given a deferred six-year sentence in May after he pleaded guilty to assaulting a sheriff’s deputy and criminal possession of a scheduled drug.

According to court records, a Flathead County sheriff’s deputy responded to a convenience store on U.S. 2 East on Aug. 9, 2013, for a domestic disturbance report made by Buzzell’s fiancé.

Buzzell had fled on foot before the deputy arrived, but witnesses pointed him out in the parking lot. When the deputy approached him, Buzzell said his name was “Chris.”

When several witnesses then confirmed that he was the man involved in the disturbance, Buzzell took off on foot again, but the deputy caught up to him and tried to restrain him.

Buzzell allegedly resisted when the deputy attempted to handcuff him, tearing a sleeve off the officer’s shirt and hitting the deputy in the face. A witness intervened and helped the deputy handcuff Buzzell. The deputy later reported sustaining an injured thumb.

A search of Buzzell’s person allegedly turned up a plastic bag containing marijuana and pills that were identified as acetaminophen-hydrocodone by their imprint.