Teen pleads not guilty in Essex crash

A Cut Bank teen has denied driving drunk and causing a crash that left him another person seriously injured on Oct. 28 near Essex.

In Flathead District Court on Thursday, Tanner Coen, 19, pleaded not guilty to negligent vehicular assault.

Prosecutors claim in court documents that Tanner Coen was found with marijuana and alcohol in his bloodstream after the accident.

A Montana Highway Patrol officer was dispatched to the single-vehicle crash in which responders initially thought there had been fatalities. Coen and Trenton Francom both suffered multiple fractures.

The trooper allegedly asked Francom after the crash if alcohol could have been involved and Francom allegedly said the pair “were trashed.” At first, Francom claimed he could not remember who was driving.

In a subsequent interview, Francom allegedly stated that Coen had apologized to him and admitted driving the vehicle. Coen’s parents are the registered owners of the vehicle.

A blood draw indicated that Coen had .06 blood alcohol concentration at the time of the crash, below the legal driving limit of .08. His blood also allegedly was found to have 5.9 nanograms per milliliter of tetrahydrocannibol, the active ingredient in marijuana. Five nanograms is the limit most states that have legalized marijuana have adopted as the threshold for driving impaired, though Montana has not established a legal limit.

Reporter Megan Strickland can be reached at 758-4459 or mstrickland@dailyinterlake.com.