Sheriff defends use of helicopter in drug bust

A prominent Flathead Valley defense attorney has questioned the use of the Two Bear Air helicopter in an arrest, but Flathead County Sheriff Chuck Curry said use of the private craft was perfectly legal.

On Nov. 20, 2013, the sheriff’s office and its SWAT team raided a home on Timber Lane near Whitefish and arrested Henry Felix Salcido, a man informants said was a dangerous drug dealer.

Officers found 7 ounces of methamphetamine, 21.9 grams of heroin and more than 25 grams of marijuana, as well as weapons and $6,560 in cash, allegedly from drug sales.

Salcido, who police believe had ties to the Mexican Mafia, eventually pleaded guilty to three drug charges and is now in prison on a 15-year sentence.

Jack Quatman, Salcido’s public defender, said he discovered the Two Bear Air helicopter was used as a command center during the raid on Salcido’s residence. Quatman said he was questioning an officer during an evidence suppression hearing in the case when the use of the helicopter came to light.

Two Bear Air is owned by Whitefish philanthropist Michael Goguen and its services are provided at no cost to taxpayers.

Apparently, the helicopter was used by Curry to keep an eye on Salcido’s home and to act as a security measure during the raid. Curry admits to using the helicopter and said it was a wise choice, considering the nature of the raid.

“The only thing the helicopter did was strictly high surveillance,” Curry said. “It was strictly a safety issue … I don’t see it as even slightly inappropriate.”

Curry said the agency has used the Two Bear Air helicopter sparingly in the past for surveillance in other cases as well. Without a warrant, the helicopter must maintain an altitude of at least 800 feet, he said.

In the Salcido case, officers had a “no-knock” warrant, meaning they could enter the property without immediate prior notification of the residents.

Quatman claimed the department was trying to keep use of the helicopter secret, but he ended up using videotape from the aircraft in Salcido’s defense.

The Two Bear Air helicopter has high-tech observation equipment onboard, including an infrared camera that can image people and anything else that gives off heat, even in the dark.

The helicopter has been used on hundreds of search and rescue missions over the years, and recently helped locate a teenage girl after a tree fell on her while she was hiking near Lion Mountain.

Curry said the department uses discretion when using the helicopter for police work outside the realm of search and rescue operations.

“We try to be appropriate with it,” he said. “We don’t routinely use it.”

Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks biologists have used the Two Bear Air helicopter to find grizzly bears and other animals that normally would be hidden in the trees.