Man pleads innocent in fatal crash
Tyrone J. Stallcup, 27, of Columbia Falls, wheels himself out of court on Thursday morning after entering a plea of not guilty at his arraignment.
Tyrone J. Stallcup, 27, of Columbia Falls, waits for his arraignment to begin on Thursday morning at the Justice Center in Kalispell. Stallcup entered a plea of not guilty to vehicular homicide while under the influence and criminal endangerment.
The survivor of a two-vehicle crash near Columbia Falls that killed a Eureka woman last month pleaded not guilty on Thursday to two felonies.
Sitting in a wheelchair in Flathead District Court, Tyrone J. Stallcup, 27, of Columbia Falls faced one count of vehicular homicide while under the influence and one count of criminal endangerment.
The charges stemmed from a crash on U.S. 2 near Columbia Falls just before 1 a.m. Feb. 12.
A Chevrolet pickup driven by Stallcup allegedly attempted to pass a Subaru at high speed, according to court documents. The pickup sideswiped the Subaru, causing both vehicles to roll into a ditch.
The driver of the Subaru, Lakeisha Dawn Thibault, 19, was thrown from her vehicle and crushed beneath it. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Thibault left behind a daughter, her parents and numerous other relatives in the Eureka area.
Stallcup also was thrown from his vehicle during the crash, sustaining a broken pelvis, right hip and shoulder, five broken ribs and a collapsed lung.
He has been under formal house arrest since Feb. 18. His release stipulates that he wear an alcohol monitoring bracelet, there can be no alcohol in the home, he may not leave the house, he may not possess or use marijuana, he must obtain a chemical dependency evaluation and he may not contact the victim’s family or any witnesses in the case.
During a Feb. 16 hearing, prosecutor Lori Adams cited Stallcup’s blood-alcohol concentration of .27 the night of the fatal crash.
According to witness statements detailed in court documents, Stallcup had been drinking at the Blue Moon from 7:30 p.m. Feb. 11 until just before the crash.
Three people with him at the bar reportedly told authorities they argued with Stallcup and asked him not to drive. A sober driver volunteered to take his pickup.
But Stallcup reportedly refused the offer.
If convicted on both counts, Stallcup could be sentenced to up to 40 years in prison and ordered to pay a $100,000 fine.
Stallcup has a previous DUI offense on his record.
His omnibus hearing is set for May 12, a pre-trial conference is May 26 and the trial is scheduled to begin July 12.
Reporter Melissa Weaver may be reached at 758-4441 or by e-mail at mweaver@dailyinterlake.com