From The Missoulian
THOMPSON FALLS – In his initial appearance on four felony charges this week, the vice chairman of the Thompson Falls School Board told District Court Judge C.B. McNeil he drove drunk and caused the deaths of two people in September.
Lance Pavlik pleaded guilty to all four counts and will spend 10 years in the custody of the Montana Department of Corrections if the judge accepts a plea agreement in the case.
Pavlik’s attorney, Lance Jasper of Missoula, said his client “wanted to take accountability, and didn’t want it to drag out. A lot of these situations can drag out for a long time.”
“By taking accountability early, hopefully the victims’ families and the town can heal some,” Jasper said.
Pavlik was accused of being under the influence when his 2009 Toyota Tacoma pickup crossed the centerline on Prospect Creek Road outside Thompson Falls approximately 20 minutes before midnight on Sept. 8 and smashed head-on into another vehicle.
The crash killed 32-year-old Jeremiah Abel Bennett and his 23-year-old fiancée, Christina Rae Jackson.
Bennett’s two children …MORE