MIDWEEK UPDATE Arlee freezing victim identified

HOT SPRINGS — A 21-year-old Arlee man was found frozen to death in a field Tuesday afternoon after he crashed his car in severe winter conditions earlier that morning and went looking for help.

At the conclusion of a seven-hour search entailing more than 30 people from both Sanders and Lake County rescue squads, Tribal Fish and Game, and the Sander County Sheriff’s Office, William Jordan Prewett was found approximately 600 yards from the crash site at 1 p.m. Tuesday. Harsh, freezing winter conditions and high winds made it difficult for rescuers to track the missing man.

According to authorities, Prewett was the man at the wheel of the car with two passengers at 4 a.m. when his vehicle veered off the road into a creek east of Hot Springs. The car was partly submerged in the creek and all three got wet in the crash — worsening their situation with the threat of hypothermia.

The two male passengers, who were both from Arlee and under 21 years of age, were found in the 6 o’clock hour when a snowplow driver found them. The passengers had reportedly taken shelter in a nearby haystack to survive the extreme cold for more than two hours. Montana Highway Patrol Sgt. Roman Zylawy said two Arlee men suffered minor injuries when the car crashed into Little Bitterroot Creek and were taken to Clark Fork Valley Hospital on recovery.

Investigators did not comment Thursday to whether alcohol is believed to be involved in the incident.

Check back with the Leader soon for more information regarding the passengers identities and their story of survival.