Woman allegedly shoots at dog in Martin City, resulting in lock down of Sugar Hill

A woman allegedly shot at a dog after a dispute in Martin City, prompting a lockdown of Central Avenue (Sugar Hill) by Flathead County Sheriff’s deputies Monday for several hours.

A Flathead County SWAT team and other law enforcement searched the home but apparently, the woman had slipped away before law enforcement arrived.

The initial incident happened about 9:30 a.m. when a woman living in a rental home on Sugar Hill allegedly accused a construction crew of stealing tools from a truck, one of the workers, who declined to be identified, said.

After a brief argument, the woman went back into the house and came out with a pistol and shot at one of the construction worker’s dogs — a fluffy golden retriever that was outside the home they were working on.

Fortunately, she missed the dog, but the bullet did hit the house.

The construction crew then called 911 and law enforcement responded. Thinking that the woman was in the house and armed, a SWAT team methodically appeared to search the home, but the woman wasn’t in it.

“Initial reports were she ran into residence, but wasn’t located inside,” Flathead County Sheriff Brian Heino said in an email.

The search for the woman continues. Law enforcement was off the scene about 3 p.m.