Fugitive caught in Columbus

An early morning incident involving intoxicated people at the Columbus Town Pump ended with a convicted violent offender arrested and likely on his way back to prison.
A 911 call was made at 9:05 a.m. last Thursday, March 3, about a group of “highly intoxicated” people yelling at other patrons at the fuel pumps, according to Stillwater County Sheriff’s Dispatch records.
Columbus Police Officer Kelly Mason and sheriff’s deputies responded and discovered one individual - Wayne Walks Nice Jr. - was on parole and listed as an absconder.
Walks Nice, 54, was arrested on misdemeanor charges of DUI (second offense), driving while suspended or revoked and operating without liability insurance in effect. He pleaded guilty to those last week.
However, the Department of Corrections has placed a hold on Walks Nice, which means he faces being sent back to the Montana State Prison for violating his parole.

Violent History Includes Murder Arrest in Washington
In 2006 Walks Nice was charged with the second degree murder of a transient in Spokane, Wash., whom he allegedly slammed to the ground under an interstate overpass in an attempt to get beer from the victim, according to a police affidavit filed in Spokane County District Court and cited in a Spokesman-Review article dated Aug. 29, 2006.
However, a medical examiner later cleared Walks Nice of the murder, finding “that hemorrhaging inside (the victim’s) skull from a prior illness or injury caused his death,” according to the article.
The murder charge was dismissed and Walks Nice was instead charged with misdemeanor third-degree assault, to which he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 12 months in jail with credit for 89 days served followed by 12 months of probation.
Montana Criminal History
Walks Nice’s criminal history in Montana is lengthy, dating back to 1983 and includes both Yellowstone and Missoula counties.
His crimes include aggravated assault, burglary and multiple counts of failure to register as a violent offender, according to the Montana Department of Corrections.