Multiple charges for Kalispell woman following hit-and-run crash
A Kalispell woman accused of hit-and-run following a traffic accident in Libby last month is facing felony drug and DUI charges.
Shanita K. Lundin, 38, formerly of Libby, is accused of DUI, fourth offense, failure to give notice of an accident, driving a vehicle on a suspended license, not having required insurance for the vehicle, two counts of criminal drug possession and one count of criminal possession of drug paraphernalia.
Lundin was held on $15,000 bail in the Lincoln County Detention Center, but has since been released.
Lundin appeared in county District Court Monday, July 15, and pleaded not guilty to all charges. Her next scheduled court appearance will be Aug. 19.
According to the affidavit of probable cause by Montana Highway Patrol trooper Virgil Sadewasser, Lundin was involved in a hit-and-run crash on June 20. She allegedly told the other driver, “I don’t have a license, don’t call the cops.”
Following a search, two county officers, Tony Jenson and Brandon Holzer found the vehicle on Flower Creek Road with Lundin in the driver seat, court documents said. Holzer believed Lundin was under the influence of drugs and she was taken into custody.
At the county jail, Sadewasser spoke to Lundin. He reported Lundin was hyperactive and jittery. She allegedly told the trooper she stopped after the accident, asked the man if he was OK and gave her insurance information. But the officer said her story didn’t match the other driver’s account.
Lundin consented to a breath test which indicated she hadn’t consumed alcohol. Sadewasser asked Lundin to give a blood sample, but Lundin refused.
After getting a warrant to take a blood sample, the trooper took Lundin to Cabinet Peaks Medical Center where a doctor collected it.
Tpr. Sadewasser reported Lundin was in a hit-and-run in January 2023 where she was suspected and cited. He also reported that she had three prior DUI convictions, including April 2011, December 2018 and August 2022. Lundin’s driving privileges are suspended indefinitely in North Dakota and she has a prior conviction in February 2024 for driving while suspended, according to Sadewasser.
Meanwhile, Holzer got a search warrant for the vehicle Lundin was driving, a 2006 Chevy Cobalt, and searched it. He and county deputy James Derryberry reported finding 1.6 grams of methamphetamine and 3.8 grams of psilocybin mushrooms in Lundin’s purse. They also found a sock that held two meth pipes in the purse.
A field test indicated the substance was meth.
A conviction on the felony DUI charge may result in a 5-year prison term. Also, a conviction on the felony drug possession charge may result in a 5-year term.