GREAT FALLS — Mary Marie Oldchief of Browning, who admitted being intoxicated when the vehicle she was driving on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation crashed and rolled twice, seriously injuring a passenger, was sentenced in federal court in Great Falls on Tuesday.
Oldchief was sentenced to 16 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release, U. S. Attorney Kurt Alme said in a news release.
Prosecutors said the one-vehicle crash happened on June 12, 2018 on U.S. Highway 2 near Browning on the Blackfeet Reservation. Oldchief was driving when the vehicle crashed and rolled twice.
A passenger was thrown from the vehicle by the force of the crash and pinned under the car. The woman sustained serious injuries, including traumatic brain injury/concussion; spinal fracture; six rib fractures; and a broken clavicle. She spent approximately nine days at Benefis Health System in Great Falls as a result of her injuries.
Court documents state that Oldchief drank a pint of 100-proof vodka, plus a few shots of 80 proof vodka, earlier in the day. She recorded a breath sample of .133 at the Blackfeet Detention Center after the crash.
Oldchief, 35 years old, pleaded guilty in October to assault resulting in serious bodily injury.
U.S. District Judge Brian Morris presided. Oldchief was taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service after sentencing was pronounced.
