Ex-Kalispell Police officer sentenced for drunken crash

A retired Kalispell Police Department officer charged with DUI and criminal endangerment after a collision last fall has pleaded guilty.

Anthony John McDonnell, 50, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of aggravated driving under the influence Nov. 10 and received a sentence of 365 days in the Flathead County Detention Center with 359 days suspended from Judge Amy Eddy. One felony count of criminal endangerment was dropped as part of the plea deal terms.

McDonnell was allowed to serve the seven days on house arrest that began Nov. 10.

McDonnell must also abide by certain conditions, including he remain law abiding, complete a chemical dependency evaluation and follow all treatment plans. He must also pay a $1,000 fine and $75 surcharge to the Flathead County Clerk of Court.

Court documents indicate McDonnell’s blood alcohol level was 0.259 at the time of the crash when he struck a county-owned vehicle driven by Logan Shawback, an off-duty Flathead County Sheriff’s Office sergeant.

Shawback is a 10-year veteran of the department. His blood alcohol level was .07, just under the legal limit of .08.

According to Sheriff Brian Heino, Shawback was demoted from running the Northwest Montana Drug Task Force and was put on administrative leave without pay for five days. Shawback was also a member of the SWAT team and a field training officer before his demotion.

Heino said the county vehicle was totaled in the crash and Shawback’s insurance company has paid to replace the county vehicle he was driving at the time of the accident.

Shawback is still with the department, working as a patrol officer.

Court documents indicate McDonnell, Shawback and Brady Gray, an off-duty Kalispell Police officer, were all at Sunrift Brewery in Kalispell late on the evening of Sunday, Nov. 29, 2020.

Gray said she went to the brewery to meet a friend and the friend was sitting with McDonnell when she arrived.

Heino reported Shawback was with his wife and children, who were at the brewery for a family gathering.

Later, at about 10:47 p.m. Sunday, several 911 calls were made about a two-vehicle crash near the intersection of Farm to Market Road and Mountain Vista Way in Kalispell.

A Kalispell Police officer arrived at the scene at about 10:54 p.m. and saw a dark gray Dodge Ram pickup truck and a gray Chrysler 300 sedan in a ditch on the east side of Farm to Market Road. Both were heavily damaged.

According to the charging document, Shawback approached the officer and told him the driver of the truck needed medical attention.

Other officers from the Kalispell Police Department, Montana Highway Patrol and county Sheriff’s Office arrived soon after and learned the driver of the truck, McDonnell, was a former Kalispell police officer, who retired in 2015. One Kalispell officer reported he and city officers knew McDonnell and said they would remove themselves from the investigation, according to the charging document.

Two other Kalispell officers gathered evidence and then went to a hospital to request a blood sample from McDonnell. Another officer at the accident scene asked Gray where they had been before the crash.

Gray said she, Shawback and McDonnell were at the brewery for three hours immediately prior to the crash. Gray said McDonnell was extremely intoxicated before leaving the brewery, describing him as being “trashed.”

ACCORDING TO the charging document, Gray said McDonnell was already drunk when she arrived and he had three or four more drinks before the bartender said he couldn’t drink any more alcohol.

Gray reported McDonnell was extremely drunk when they left the brewery. She said she and Shawback walked to the parking lot and didn’t pay attention to the vehicle McDonnell was driving.

Gray said soon after everyone had left the brewery, Shawback called her to report he had been in a crash. Gray then drove to the crash scene. She said Shawback said he didn’t know who had hit him, but only realized it was McDonnell after Gray told him and he saw McDonnell being removed from the truck.

Shawback told two Kalispell officers he was off-duty, driving a county vehicle, according to the charging document. Shawback then described the crash, indicating he was going home, preparing to turn onto Mountain Vista Way, when he observed a vehicle behind him, approaching at a high rate of speed. Shawback indicated he sped up to make the turn and avoid being rear-ended.

Shawback then said McDonnell's vehicle came up behind him fast and then crashed into him. The estimated speed of McDonnell's Ram truck was near the posted speed limit of 50 mph.

COURT RECORDS indicated further investigation of the crash scene and the other evidence indicated that as McDonnell drove his truck through the intersection, he struck the passenger side of the Chrysler Shawback was driving, near the tail light, prior to reaching Mountain Vista Way. The truck pushed the Chrysler, causing it to turn counterclockwise and into a slide. The truck remained in contact with the Chrysler, moving down the right side of the vehicle, causing substantial damage to the body of the vehicle.

The truck then climbed upward and rolled over the front passenger corner of the Chrysler, driving over the top of the vehicle.

Shawback was inside the Chrysler as McDonnell drove over the top of the vehicle with his Ram pickup. After separating from the Chrysler, McDonnell struck a light pole with the passenger side of the pickup, knocking the pole down. The truck then rolled over, crushing portions of the roof and windshield, deploying the airbags, and coming to a final rest on its wheels in the ditch.

Scott Shindledecker may be reached at sshindledecker@dailyinterlake.com or at 406-758-4441.