Detectives investigate 'touchy' case of lake crash

Northwest Montana News Network

Five people from the Flathead County Sheriff's Office are investigating Thursday night's boat crash on Flathead Lake that injured five people, Sheriff Mike Meehan said Monday.

"We're doing a search warrant on the boat today and we're not prepared to make any statements until we get the investigation complete," Meehan said. "It's kind of touchy with so many agencies involved and with the people who are involved, we want to get it right."

Meehan said his office has taken the lead in the investigation, with four detectives and an evidence technician assigned to the case.

Meehan said his office would release information just as it would with any other case, once the investigative process is complete.

Asked if his office has collected any blood evidence from anyone involved, including Greg Barkus (who was driving the boat), Meehan said his investigators and the County Attorney's Office will have to pursue a subpoena to acquire that evidence from Kalispell Regional Medical Center.

"It's a legal process that we have to go through," he said, referring to similar cases his department has pursued in the past, usually with success in obtaining evidence. "If it's not legally obtained, it can be suppressed further down the road in trial."