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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Man crashes into cars; passengers found dead

Associated Press

MISSOULA – A man crashed his vehicle into several parked vehicles early Tuesday, then continued driving while screaming for help until police arrived, only to find his two passengers dead.

Authorities identified the dead men as Trent Robinson, 22, of Lolo, and Seth Timothy, 21, of Missoula.

The driver, who remained hospitalized late Tuesday, was identified as Kenneth Martin, 23, also of Missoula.

Police Sgt. Scott Hoffman said it appeared the driver lost control of his vehicle shortly before 2 a.m. After crashing, the driver continued for about another five blocks. Residents who heard his screaming called police.

Martin was charged with two counts of vehicular homicide while driving drunk and one misdemeanor for failure to remain at the scene of an injury or accident.

Officials said he was charged under a new law passed by the 2005 Montana Legislature.

Martin was expected to appear in Justice Court today.

Officers said they found a smashed pickup truck at an intersection. It was pushed a full half-circle by the impact, landing on the sidewalk.

After the initial collision with the parked truck, Martin allegedly drove his vehicle through a yard and sideswiped two other vehicles before stopping.

Police said Martin’s blood alcohol level was 0.165. In Montana, the legal limit is 0.08.

The two deaths pushed the Montana fatality count to 169, compared with 148 on Aug. 30, 2004.