Teen driver charged with child endangerment takes plea deal

Derrick Perkins, Daily Inter Lake, Kalispell, Mont.
·2 min read
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Jun. 4—A teen driver charged with child endangerment after getting caught driving drunk with an underage passenger in April has pleaded guilty to misdemeanor driving under the influence.

Under the terms of a deal struck with prosecutors, Daysha D'Ann Guzman, 19, agreed to pay a fine of $100, surcharge of $75 and undergo chemical dependency education courses and treatment. Her license was suspended for 90 days with a recommendation for a probationary license.

Judge Heidi Ulbricht handed down the sentence in Flathead County District Court shortly after Guzman entered her changed plea.

Montana Highway Patrol troopers arrested Guzman on April 9 after pulling her over on Kalispell's Conrad Drive about 11:14 p.m. According to charging documents, a broken taillight sparked the traffic stop.

During their subsequent interaction, troopers reported that Guzman displayed watery eyes and wrote that her breath smelled of an alcoholic beverage. While authorities took a blood sample for further analysis, a breath test put Guzman's breath alcohol content at .237, court documents said.

They also found a 13-year-old in the vehicle with Guzman, leading to the endangerment charge.

While charging documents say the passenger admitted that the pair drank Everclear earlier in the evening, Guzman maintained that the alcohol in her system came from a tincture of herbal medicine.

She told the court that it contained a small amount of diluted alcohol. Guzman attributed the effect it had on her to her small size.

Speaking to the terms of the plea deal, Deputy County Attorney Andrew Clegg described Guzman's actions as "monumentally stupid," but cited her youth as a factor in the arrangement. Prosecutors were trying to avoid saddling the 19-year-old with a felony, he said.

Ulbricht voiced doubt about Guzman's explanation, saying .237 was high "regardless of size," but praised the teenager for immediately enrolling in treatment and education courses for substance abuse.

"The court is pleased with your taking accountability," she said.

News Editor Derrick Perkins can be reached at 758-4430 or dperkins@dailyinterlake.com.