Protesters call for tougher laws at arraignment for man accused of fatal DUI

Protesters gathered Thursday outside Flathead County Justice Center before an arraignment hearing for a Corvallis man accused of killing a Kalispell man and injuring three others while driving intoxicated last month near Bigfork. 

Dal Segall, 41, is charged with one felony count of vehicular homicide while under the influence and three felony counts of negligent vehicular assault. Segall appeared via Zoom for his arraignment overseen by Judge Heidi Ulbricht. He pleaded not guilty to all charges, resulting in scattered exclamations from the packed courtroom audience.  

Segall was arrested following a head-on collision Dec. 1, where he allegedly attempted to pass another vehicle in a no-passing zone on Montana 83 near the intersection with Echo Lake Road, resulting in the death of 33-year-old Wyatt Potts of Kalispell and the injury of three others, including Segall’s own passenger. Potts’ fiancé Teressa Brandt reportedly remains in a coma due to the incident.  

An order from Ulbricht in early December set conditions of release including a $500,000 bond, SCRAM alcohol monitoring bracelet and GPS tracking for Segall. 

In Thursday's hearing, the defense asked that the conditions of release be modified to allow Segall to remain in contact with the passenger of his vehicle at the time of the incident. Ulbricht ultimately denied the request citing concerns relating to Segall speaking with a victim and witness to the incident.  

The maximum penalty for negligent vehicular homicide while under the influence is 30 years in Montana state prison with a maximum fine of $50,000. For negligent vehicular assault, the maximum sentence is 10 years with a maximum fine of $10,000. The jury trial for the case will begin Sept. 8.  

Picketers at the courthouse asked for harsher DUI laws and less lenient sentencing, especially for repeat offenders. Among those looking for change were Potts’ mother Mary Latta and her husband Rick Latta.  

“So many people are dying, there’s so many accidents,” Rick said. “We just need to see the laws get a little stricter and quit plea bargaining them out.”  

“They shouldn’t be getting off, for their sake,” Mary added. “And now this guy’s killed somebody. It could have been stopped before he killed somebody... He’s got to carry that for the rest of his life... I actually kind of feel sorry for him.” 

Segall’s alleged DUI was part of a jump in suspected drunk driving incidents around the Flathead Valley over the holidays. Picketers voiced concerns about the number of DUIs in the valley, as well as understaffed law enforcement agencies. 

“As a community, we’re just more and more upset. We’ve got to stay in this and we’ve got to hammer this in and bring back our town. We’re just not safe,” said Jackie Elm of Kalispell, who organized Wednesday’s picket.