Browning sex offender admits not registering and attempting to elude law enforcement

GREAT FALLS - A Browning man accused of not registering as a sex offender as required and attempting to flee law enforcement by leading officers on a high-speed chase admitted to charges this week, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said today.

The defendant, Austin Kade Goings, 27, pleaded guilty on Oct. 28 to failure to register as a sex offender, a felony, and to attempting to elude a peace officer, a misdemeanor. Goings faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and at least five years of supervised release on the failure to register charge, and a maximum of one year in prison, a $2,000 fine and one year of supervised release on the attempting to elude charge.

Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided. The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing was set for Feb. 26, 2025. Goings was detained pending further proceedings.

In court documents, the government alleged Goings was on federal supervised release following his conviction by a guilty plea to sexual abuse of a minor. In April 2021, Goings was sentenced to 21 months of custody, followed by five years of supervised release. Goings was last released from federal custody following a revocation in early January 2024. Upon his release, Goings failed to update his sex offender registration as required by Montana state law and a warrant was issued for his arrest for violations of supervised release.

On July 25, an undercover law enforcement officer observed Goings driving a vehicle on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. Knowing of Goings' federal arrest warrant, the officer notified other nearby law enforcement. Officers with Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services and Glacier County Sheriff's Office attempted to initiate a traffic stop of Goings and activated their emergency lights. Goings drove through a stop sign without stopping and reached 80 mph in a 25-mph zone. The pursuit reached 100 mph in a 65-mph zone, with Goings traveling at 100 mph through the Starr School community. Goings was observed swerving and driving down the center lane, and he approached another vehicle head on, forcing the vehicle into a ditch. Law enforcement called the Border Patrol for assistance. Goings led officers on a 45-mile pursuit that stopped just short of the border. There were three other occupants in the vehicle at the time of the stop, including two persons who were minors. Officers arrested Goings on his federal warrant.

The U.S. Attorney's Office is prosecuting the case. The U.S. Marshals Service, Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services, Glacier County Sheriff's Office and Border Patrol conducted the investigation.

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