A man accused of negligent homicide in a DUI crash nearly four years ago entered a guilty plea to a reduced charge Tuesday in Flathead County District Court.

According to court documents, Jesse Lamont Green, 40, of Kalispell, pleaded guilty to felony criminal endangerment. He was charged with negligent homicide and had entered a not guilty plea in September 2018.

Green was originally a fugitive after the crash that killed 29-year-old Kalispell woman Loretta Brown on May 14, 2015.

Green was brought back from Manassas, Virginia, in August 2018 and briefly held in the Flathead County Jail before he was released on his own recognizance.

Montana Highway Patrol had issued a warrant for his arrest after filing charges in March 2016 in relation to the crash that occurred on Montana 206, southeast of Columbia Falls.

According to the affidavit of probable cause, Montana Highway Patrol Trooper David Mills responded to the scene of a one-vehicle crash near milemarker 8.9 on Montana 206 at about 5:53 a.m. He said he saw a 2007 Chevy Tahoe on its roof in a field. He also reported tire marks on the road and estimated that the driver over-corrected five times before crashing.

Both Green and Brown were thrown from the Tahoe. Brown died at the scene and Green was taken to Kalispell Regional Medical Center for his injuries before Mills arrived at the scene.

At the time, it wasn’t known which person was driving the Tahoe, but after an investigation, police believed Green was behind the wheel, according to the court documents.

Mills reportedly spoke with Brown’s brother, who said Brown didn’t own a car and was uncomfortable driving. He also said she had a learning disability that prevented her from getting a driver’s license.

Officers said evidence collected at the scene showed that Brown’s blood was found on an airbag on the passenger side of the Tahoe. Her blood test showed that she hadn’t ingested any alcohol or dangerous drugs.

According to the court report, a sample of Green’s blood taken at the hospital was analyzed at the Montana State Crime Lab; it was determined that his blood alcohol level was 0.103 shortly after the crash.

Court documents also show Green pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor assault charge in 2010 after police said he threatened another man with a knife.

He received a six-month suspended sentence in the county jail for that offense.

Green is scheduled to be sentenced at 1:30 p.m. Thursday, March 21.

Reporter Scott Shindledecker may be reached at 406-758-4441 or sshindledecker@dailyinterlake.com