Arlee woman pleads guilty in fatal Pablo crash

An Arlee woman who was involved in a head-on crash that claimed the life of a Ronan man last year pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide while under the influence, a felony, on April 7 in Lake County District Court.

Shannon Sierra Haworth, 19, entered the guilty plea as part of a plea agreement that recommends a sentence of 20 years in prison with 10 years suspended and a fine of $50,000, along with restitution in amount to be determined by probation and parole officials.

According to court documents, a Lake County Sheriff’s deputy pulled Haworth over on Highway 93 in Polson the night of May 28, 2021 for driving without her headlights on. The deputy described Haworth as being distraught and said Haworth admitted to drinking earlier that night.

Since Haworth is a Tribal member, the deputy requested a Tribal officer also respond to process Haworth for a possible DUI charge. While they waited, Haworth sped off in her Jeep Liberty. The deputy followed, but with an identity secured, the deputy backed off and alerted authorities that Haworth was headed south toward Arlee.

A Tribal officer spotted Haworth driving at a high rate of speed on the wrong side of the road through Pablo and began to chase, with lights flashing. According to charging documents, the Tribal officer was unable to close the gap, even driving at more than 120 mph.

Dash cam video shows Haworth remained in the northbound lane “letting other cars heading north to pass until she picked a car driven by the victim, and … can be clearly seen swerving into his path and colliding head-on …”

The victim, Ryan Lefthand, 35, of Ronan, was killed instantly.

Haworth survived the crash and was taken to Kalispell Regional Medical Center, then flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. Investigators later determined that she had a blood-alcohol content of 0.177 the night of the crash.

During Haworth’s change of plea hearing, defense attorney Shandor Badaruddin said Haworth has no memory of the fatal night, which was just days before her graduation from Arlee High School.

“As a result of her intoxication and a concussion, she doesn’t remember what happened,” Badaruddin said.

Haworth was shown video of the events and acknowledged that the blood test results were likely accurate.

The case was set to go to trial May 9. Judge Deborah “Kim” Christopher set sentencing for May 26.