MISSOULA – On Oct. 24 Seeley Lake’s Micah Nicholas was sentenced to 20 years with 15 years suspended and $230 in fines after entering into a plea agreement. Nicholas was charged with one felony account of vehicular homicide while under the influence following a single vehicle rollover May 5 that killed Michael Haley, 48, of Seeley Lake.
According to investigating Highway Patrol Trooper Wes Whitlatch, an Audi sedan was northbound on Golf View Drive just after 8 p.m. May 5. Nicholas, 21, failed to negotiate a left curve and ran off the roadway to the left. The vehicle vaulted over a grassy incline, went airborne and overturned. In the process the front seat passenger Haley was ejected through the front passenger window
Life Flight transported Haley to the hospital. Haley later died from his injuries.
According to court documents, Nicholas told Trooper Whitlatch that he had been speeding at the time of the crash and had drunk a beer while golfing. He consented to a breath test and provided a breath sample that registered a Blood Alcohol Concentration of 0.221 percent. The federal standard for legal intoxication is a BAC of 0.08 percent.
Nicholas was charge with one felony count of vehicular homicide while under the influence in violation of Montana law Mont. Code Ann. 45-5-106. This offense is punishable by 30 years in the Montana State Prison and/or a $50,000 fine.
Nicholas pleaded guilty in a plea agreement. Letters of support on his behalf were submitted by: his parents David and Kari; Jacob Haley, son of Michael Haley; Marlee Sandry, personal friend of Defendant; and Davy Good, Nicholas’ employer.
On Oct. 24 District Court Judge Shane A. Vannatta sentenced Nicholas to 20 years with 15 years suspended. Nicholas was credited for serving one day and required to pay $230 in fines.
In the court documents, Judge Vannatta said the reasons for this judgment included: it conforms to the Plea Agreement; it recognizes the severity of the offense and the resulting loss of life; it recognizes the request for leniency requested by the victim’s wife and the victim’s son; it provides the best opportunity for the rehabilitation, evaluation and treatment for the Defendant’s chemical dependency and evaluation for potential mental health issues; it recognizes Defendant’s amenability to treatment, correction and supervision; and it provides reasonable supervision by the State for Defendant’s compliance with recommended treatment protocols, thus protecting the community.
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