Woman who injured 7 in drunken crash now faces new charges
A probation violation hearing was delayed Thursday for a Kalispell woman who injured seven people in a drunk-driving crash in Evergreen in 2009.
Rebecca Sliter, 36, is now facing an additional charge of felony assault on a peace officer filed last week, after Sliter allegedly was combative with officers who responded to a disturbance at Alpine Inn in Kalispell at 3 a.m. on Dec. 31.
Sliter allegedly was highly intoxicated and uncooperative as she was booked into Flathead County Detention Center. She allegedly kicked an officer directly in the groin, immobilizing him, during the process. Sliter pleaded not guilty to the allegations on Thursday in Flathead District Court.
Her attorney, Jessica Polan, asked for some time to handle the case and the potential revocation of the drunk-driving sentence together.
“I’m hoping to continue this for one month and hopefully the county attorney and I and Ms. Sliter can come up with some sort of plea agreement,” Polan said.
Eddy set a hearing in both matters for Feb. 9.
Sliter was convicted of negligent vehicular assault in 2009 after she drove with a blood-alcohol level of .36 — four times the legal limit — and caused a three-vehicle crash on U.S. 2 when she tried to make a U-turn across two lanes of traffic on June 27.
Seven people had injuries ranging from mild to serious. Though none of the injuries were immediately life-threatening, one woman developed life-threatening blood clots in the days after the crash, according to a relative.
Sliter was sentenced to 10 years with five years suspended in 2009, and completed a drug-treatment and prerelease program before she began her probationary sentence in 2011. The sentence was revoked for probation violations in 2012 and Sliter was then sentenced again to eight years with the Montana Department of Corrections, with four years suspended.
During that time, Sliter went through two alcohol-treatment programs before her release to probation supervision in 2013. Sliter’s probation officer alleges in a petition for revocation that intervention hearings were held in November 2013, February 2014, February 2015, and December 2015 to try to get Sliter to stop abusing alcohol.
Most recently Sliter was arrested on Oct. 13, 2016, with a .419 blood alcohol concentration, according to court documents. Probationers are prohibited from possessing or consuming alcohol.
“It is apparent to me that the defendant is either unable or unwilling to discontinue her use of alcohol and is not amenable to treatment services within the community,” probation officer Jeff Helpenstill wrote.
He recommends Sliter be committed to the Department of Corrections for the remaining three years of her sentence and be placed in additional drug- and alcohol-treatment programs.
In an initial hearing, Sliter denied the allegations in the report.
Reporter Megan Strickland can be reached at 758-4459 or mstrickland@dailyinterlake.com.