Polson woman pleads guilty to negligent homicide
JEFF SMITH | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 4 months AGO
Jeff Smith is news director for Anderson Broadcasting and a contributor to the Lake County Leader. | March 6, 2026 11:00 PM
A Polson woman has admitted to causing a vehicle accident that killed a passenger in July 2025.
Elizabeth Charlotte Hill, 23, entered a plea of guilty in the 20th Judicial District Court in Polson on Feb. 18 to the amended charge of negligent homicide.
Hill was initially charged with vehicular homicide while under the influence. The plea was entered as part of an agreement that contemplates a sentence recommendation of 20 years in the Montana State Women’s Prison with 15 years suspended.
According to charging documents, early the morning of July 26, 2025, a woman called 911 to report she had been in a crash. She indicated one of her passengers was thrown from the vehicle before she ran over him.
Law enforcement responded to the area near Swartz Lake, in the Mission Mountains east of Ronan, and located a vehicle off the embankment. Hill was located in the front of the vehicle.
The body of a 16-year-old boy, later identified as Keykem Lozeau of Ronan, was found on the ground on the passenger side of the vehicle. His head was under the running board and he showed no signs of life.
The charging documents indicate two other juveniles and an adult were in the vehicle at the time of the crash. One of them told investigators that the group had gone swimming in Polson, then headed south to Twin Lakes.
He went on to state that Hill was driving “crazy, speeding and swerving” prior to the vehicle rolling. Hill admitted to consuming alcohol prior to the crash. Results of a blood draw were pending at the time charging documents were filed.
Judge Molly Owen set sentencing for April 8.
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