Dec. 20--A Belgrade woman has pleaded not guilty to several charges in connection with allegedly driving the wrong way on Interstate 90 and hitting a Jefferson County sheriff's patrol car.
Kari Weist, 34, was charged in Jefferson County district court on Dec. 14 with two felony counts of criminal endangerment, misdemeanor driving under the influence, criminal possession of dangerous drugs and other charges. She is accused of driving the wrong way on the interstate on the evening of Nov. 29 and then crashing head on with a sheriff's patrol.
Weist had her 10-month-old baby in her car at the time of the incident, according to the Montana Highway Patrol. No serious injuries were reported.
Weist remains incarcerated in Jefferson County jail as of Tuesday on $3,000 bond. The court ordered she can only bond out of jail if she wears an alcohol monitoring ankle bracelet or participates in the 24/7 sobriety program.
The highway patrol reported Weist was driving her 1995 Chevy Corsica eastbound in the westbound lane near the Pipestone exit, west of Whitehall, just after 7 p.m. After receiving several 911 calls from motorists about a wrong-way driver, a Jefferson County sheriff's deputy responded.
Deputy Mike Wharton had stopped his cruiser on the interstate with his lights flashing when Weist allegedly hit the car head-on. Weist had slowed down just before the collision and may have been traveling 20 to 25 mph at the time of impact.
The highway patrol reported Weist had a small amount of marijuana on her at the time.
Weist also faces misdemeanor counts of possession of drug paraphernalia, driving with a suspended or revoked license, no proof of insurance and failing to have a child properly secured in a car seat.
Copyright 2011 - The Montana Standard, Butte
