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Woman pleads not guilty to crash charges

Jesse Davis | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 11 years, 8 months AGO
by Jesse Davis
| March 2, 2013 9:00 PM

A 49-year-old Kalispell woman pleaded not guilty Thursday in Flathead District Court to several charges following an Oct. 14 crash.

Barbara Amundson is charged with felony criminal endangerment and misdemeanor driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, criminal possession of dangerous drugs and failure to have insurance.

According to a court document, a Montana Highway Patrol trooper chased a vehicle after it passed him on U.S. 2 traveling 81 miles per hour in a 45 mph zone. The motorist did not stop, accelerating to speeds above 110 mph, passing four vehicles traveling the opposite direction while doing so.

The vehicle crashed at U.S. 2 and Spring Creek Road, climbing an embankment, dislodging two boulders that ended up in the road, and rolling over. The trooper could not see due to dust from the accident and crashed into the boulders.

The court document states the driver identified herself as Amundson.

The trooper reported her breath smelled overwhelmingly of alcohol, her eyes were red and watery, and her speech was extremely slurred. She allegedly failed sobriety tests but refused to provide a breath sample, admitting she had been drinking.

While Amundson was being booked into the Flathead County Detention Center, detention officers allegedly found a small plastic bottle of marijuana in her possession.

If convicted of all her charges, Amundson faces between one day in jail and 11 years and 10 days in prison and a fine of between $100 and $52,000 if it is her first offense of proof of insurance compliance. If it is her third or subsequent conviction on the charge, she faces a maximum of 11 and a half years in prison.

Her next hearing is set for May 8.

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