Fettig pleads guilty to driving under the influence charge

A Libby man who paused to take a swig of alcohol while talking to police officers at the scene of a December vehicle wreck has pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol, fourth or subsequent offense.

Jason Matthew Fettig, 41, changed his plea in Lincoln County District Court on Feb. 28. In return for the guilty plea, prosecutors dropped an alternative charge as well as charges of driving a motor vehicle while suspended or revoked and operating a vehicle without an interlock.

Prosecutors will recommend Fettig spend the next two years with the state Department of Corrections. Upon completion of an approved residential alcohol treatment program, he can serve the remainder of those two years on probation.

That stretch will be followed with a five-year stint, all suspended, with the Department of Corrections. He also must pay a $5,000 fine.

Fettig’s sentencing is scheduled for April 14.

Libby police officers arrested Fettig not far from his wrecked truck on Education Way on Dec. 23. Although the scene of the rollover was devoid of anyone when officers arrived, Fettig showed up on foot soon after, court documents said.

In an affidavit, Sgt. Chris Pape wrote that Fettig, with glassy, bloodshot eyes and slurred speech, claimed ownership of the truck. Fettig, Pape wrote, stood unsteadily on his feet.

Fettig told investigators that he went home to drink after rolling the truck. He had returned, he told Pape, to retrieve the vehicle.

During their conversation, Fettig pulled out a bottle of cinnamon whiskey and took a plug, court documents said.

Pape soon learned from dispatchers that Fettig’s license was revoked and his vehicle should have boasted an interlocking device.

Fettig agreed to a breath test, which came back with a blood alcohol concentration of .238. That level of intoxication made Pape suspicious of Fettig’s version of events, wherein he only began drinking after rolling the truck.

“Due to his BAC of 0.238 and the short amount of time that passed from the time of the crash to the time I made contact with him, I do believe that Fettig was operating the vehicle while he was under the influence of alcohol,” Pape wrote.

Fettig initially pleaded not guilty to all charges. He racked up prior driving under the influence convictions in 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2020.