Kalispell woman pleads not guilty to driving drunk

A 49-year-old Kalispell woman pleaded not guilty Thursday in Flathead District Court to a pair of charges after allegedly driving drunk with her 8-year-old granddaughter in the vehicle.

Tamara Guinard is charged with felony criminal endangerment and misdemeanor aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol.

According to a court document, an off-duty Columbia Falls police officer reported to dispatch on Feb. 10 that he was following who he believed was a drunken driver and that he thought there was a child in the vehicle.

When the vehicle passed an on-duty Flathead County deputy and the deputy saw the vehicle swerve within a foot of the curb and then move toward the other lane, causing another motorist to move to avoid a collision, the deputy stopped the vehicle.

The driver was allegedly identified as Guinard, who the court document states admitted to having had just one beer earlier that day but “a lot” the night before. Guinard allegedly failed field sobriety tests and a breath alcohol test.

A later breath test allegedly measured Guinard’s alcohol level at more than twice the legal limit.

If convicted of both charges, Guinard faces between 24 hours in jail and 11 years in prison as well as a fine of up to $51,000. Her next hearing is set for April 10.