Man charged in Essex crash

A man has been charged with felony negligent vehicular assault for an Oct. 18, 2015, crash near Essex that left two men seriously injured.

Prosecutors claim in court documents that Tanner Coen was found with marijuana and alcohol in his bloodstream after the accident. He is believed to have been driving the vehicle at the time of the crash.

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 asked Francom after the crash if alcohol could have been involved and Francom allegedly said the pair “were trashed.” Francom allegedly said 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. The Montana Legislature considered imposing a 5-nanogram limit in 2013, but it was not enacted.

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