Andrew Glenn Sullivan Arrested;- The driver implicated in a purported DUI accident that resulted in the death of a Flathead Valley teenager on August 23, near Whitefish, had received a sentence in a different DUI case merely five days prior, as indicated by court documents.
Andrew Glenn Sullivan, 20, from Marion, was charged on Monday with felony negligent homicide in Flathead County District Court. He is currently detained at the county detention center with a bail set at $250,000. His next court date is set for September 4.
Troopers from the Montana Highway Patrol responded to the incident at the intersection of Mountain Meadow Road and Tally Lake Road around 1:53 a.m., according to court filings. Upon arrival, a trooper discovered a damaged Dodge Ram pickup on the northbound embankment and found a 17-year-old girl deceased on the ground adjacent to the vehicle. Two males were also present at the scene.
The trooper identified Sullivan as the driver of the pickup and observed that his eyes appeared watery and glossy, as stated in the documents.
Sullivan allegedly informed the trooper that the teenage girl had not been ejected from the vehicle but had fainted while seated in the back with another passenger. He claimed that this incident distracted him, and he had started to decelerate when the pickup veered off the road. He also mentioned that another teenage passenger, who had fled the scene, was “freaking out,” which further diverted his attention.
Sullivan denied having consumed any alcohol or drugs and asserted that a bottle of vodka purportedly discovered in the truck was actually water, according to the documents. He told the trooper that he had not ingested any vodka, but that it had been in his mouth. A preliminary breath test indicated a blood alcohol concentration of 0.057. Sullivan subsequently agreed to a blood draw, which was forwarded to the Montana State Crime Lab for examination.
He also acknowledged that there was a nearby gathering where drugs and alcohol were being consumed, as stated in the documents.
During the investigation, the trooper allegedly found empty alcohol containers, a glass jar of marijuana and a bottle of vodka in the vehicle. A large pool of blood was observed near the rear passenger door, but no blood was found inside the truck.
Evidence indicated the teen’s upper body was partially outside the vehicle before the crash and that she likely struck a tree as the pickup went down the embankment, according to the trooper. Emergency medical responders said the girl broke her neck in the crash.
Sullivan had previously been cited for driving under the influence in May by the Kalispell Police Department. As part of a plea deal, he admitted to operating a vehicle with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.02 while under the age of 21. For drivers under age 21, the alcohol concentration limit in Montana is 0.02. He was sentenced Aug. 18.
In June, Sullivan was cited for leaving the scene of an accident after losing control of his vehicle and driving into Bitterroot Lake, the documents state.
