Marion man pleads not guilty to negligent homicide in alleged DUI crash that killed Flathead teen

A defense attorney representing Andrew Glenn Sullivan, 20, of Marion entered the plea before Judge Heidi Ulbricht in Flathead County District Court on Sep. 4. Ulbricht set an omnibus hearing in the case for Nov. 19 and a pretrial hearing on Jan. 9.  

Sullivan was held in the county detention center on $250,000 bail following the fatal Aug. 23 wreck but released later that month after posting bond.  

Prosecutors charged Sullivan with the felony after Montana Highway Patrol troopers responded to a crash at Mountain Meadow Road and Tally Lake Road at about 1:53 a.m., according to court documents. A trooper found a damaged Dodge Ram pickup on the northbound embankment and a 17-year-old girl dead on the ground next to the truck. Two males were also present.  

The trooper identified Sullivan as the driver of the pickup and noted his eyes appeared watery and glossy, charging documents said. 

Sullivan allegedly told the trooper that the teen girl had fainted while riding in the back with another passenger, distracting him. He said he had begun to slow down when the pickup left the road.  

Sullivan denied consuming alcohol or drugs and said he believed a bottle of vodka allegedly found in the truck was water, according to the documents. A preliminary breath test allegedly showed Sullivan with a blood alcohol concentration of .057. Sullivan later consented to a blood draw, which was sent to the Montana State Crime Lab.  

During the investigation, the trooper allegedly found empty alcohol containers, a glass jar of marijuana and a bottle of vodka in the vehicle. A large pool of blood was observed near the rear passenger door, but no blood was found inside the truck.  

Sullivan was sentenced in a separate DUI case just five days earlier, according to court filings.  He was previously cited for driving under the influence in May by the Kalispell Police Department.  

Reporter Jack Underhill can be reached at 758-4407 or junderhill@dailyinterlake.com.  

 Andrew Glenn Sullivan is shown at his arraignment in Flathead County District Court in Kalispell on Thursday, Sept. 4. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider