BILLINGS - A woman was charged Wednesday in Yellowstone County District Court following a violent armed carjacking in Billings.
Truvy Larae Hardground, 28, appeared for arraignment by video from the Yellowstone County jail and pleaded not guilty to one count of felony robbery by accountability, two counts of felony criminal endangerment, one count of felony drug possession, and one count of misdemeanor obstruction. Her bond was set at $25,000.
Hardground was arrested early Monday following a report of an armed carjacking in the 4000 block of Grand Avenue. Authorities allege Hardground was driving the stolen vehicle when it crashed during a pursuit by law enforcement at the intersection of Montana Avenue and North 27th Street.
Two other people involved in the crime, a man and a woman, fled from the crash scene and have not been identified.
According to charging documents, the victim reported he was at home near the 200 block of Broadwater Avenue when he saw the two women and a man walking and recognized one of the women. The woman asked if he could give them a ride to her apartment and he agreed.
During the ride, Hardground was seated in the front passenger seat of the man's 2013 Kia Rio and the other woman and the man were in the back seat when the man "suddenly wrapped his left arm around (the victim's) neck and held a silver revolver to the right side of (his) head." The man threatened the victim, who told authorities he believed the man "was going to kill him at that time," court records state.
Hardground is accused of getting out of the car and going to the driver's side where she opened the door and pulled the victim out as the man with the gun demanded "everything he had." The trio then fled in the stolen car and police were contacted about the incident at about 4:40 a.m.
Officers located the stolen vehicle a short time later and a pursuit ensued. According to court records, the driver of the stolen vehicle fled at speeds over 70 mph on Sixth Avenue North and drove the wrong way on Fourth Avenue North into oncoming traffic where the stolen car nearly collided with another vehicle.
The pursuit ended at the downtown intersection when the stolen car collided with another vehicle and the three occupants fled on foot. Hardground was arrested by officers after she was tackled to the ground, court records state. A pipe containing meth was later found in the stolen vehicle, court records state.
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