A Ronan man was sentenced at District Court docket in Polson on Might 27 to twenty years within the Montana State Jail with 10 years suspended for inflicting a automobile crash that killed his passenger. Throughout a change of plea listening to on March 4, Kenneth Lozeau Jr., 27, entered a plea of responsible to vehicular murder whereas beneath the affect.
In line with courtroom data, on Might 23, 2020, emergency personnel responded to the report of a one-vehicle rollover on State Freeway 35 close to Fulkerson Lane east of Polson. On the scene, a Montana Freeway Patrol Trooper noticed a 1999 Chevy Silverado on its high, positioned on the east aspect of the freeway dealing with east. In depth injury was executed to the whole Silverado.
Lozeau was handled by an ambulance crew for transport to the hospital. A feminine passenger, later recognized as Ruby Dae Saluskin, 23, had died on the scene of blunt power trauma.
An investigation confirmed that Lozeau and Saluskin had been consuming earlier within the day. The 2 had simply gotten the Silverado unstuck once they wrecked on Hellroaring Highway. An space resident informed investigators that he had helped the 2 free the automobile and that’s when Lozeau took over driving.
The investigation additionally confirmed that Lozeau was touring south when he failed to barter the curve at Fulkerson Lane and the Silverado rolled a number of instances earlier than coming to relaxation on its high.
Lozeau’s public defender, Invoice Decrease, had argued for a sentence of 20 years with the Montana Division of Corrections with 15 years suspended.
Decide Robert Whelan, who presided over the case through zoom platform from Silver Bow County, went with the harsher punishment telling Lozeau that “after this incident, as an alternative of getting assist, you bought one other DUI with others within the automobile. You have been discovered handed out within the automobile. I needed to situation a bench warrant in your arrest simply to get the PSI (pre-sentence investigation) executed.”
Whelan additionally ordered Lozeau to pay restitution of $3,236.
