Teen faces charges for high-speed accident

A 19-year-old Kalispell man is facing five felonies and multiple misdemeanor charges in Flathead District Court for a May 15 high-speed crash that ejected him from the vehicle he was driving and left five people injured.

Michael Louis O’Dear-Hull had a blood alcohol content of .09 — just over the legal limit of .08 — when his blood was drawn about four hours after the crash, according to court documents.

A Montana Highway Patrol trooper responded to the crash on Kila Road and found a total of six injured people, among them O’Dear-Hull.

An investigation revealed that he had left a party on Browns Meadow Road with several friends and was driving at speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour as the he traveled down Kila Road.

The vehicle’s on-board computer revealed he was driving at 87 mph when he failed to properly negotiate a curve, causing the vehicle to roll several times, according to court documents.

Three passengers, including O’Dear-Hull, were ejected from the vehicle. All passengers were hospitalized with what prosecutors describe as serious injuries. One was transported to a hospital in Washington for treatment of internal injuries.

Open containers of alcohol were found inside the vehicle, according to the Highway Patrol.

The five separate charges of felony negligent vehicular assault filed by the Flathead County Attorney’s Office each carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in Montana State Prison.

O’Dear-Hull also is  charged with misdemeanor driving under the influence of alcohol, driving with a suspended license, unlawful possession of an intoxicating substance and a seat belt violation.

He was arrested Wednesday and released on his own recognizance a day later with the requirement that he wear an alcohol-detecting anklet.

O’Dear-Hull is scheduled to be arraigned Sept. 1 in Flathead District Court.