St. Michael Woman Sentenced for Involuntary Manslaughter |
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U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of North Dakota
July 7, 2011
FARGO—United States Attorney Timothy Q. Purdon announced that on July 7, 2011, Carolynn Bigtrack, of St. Michael, North Dakota, was sentenced before United States District Court Judge Ralph R. Erickson on a charge of involuntary manslaughter.
Bigtrack, 19, pleaded guilty on April 15, 2011, to driving a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol which resulted in a car crash killing Bigtrack’s 16-year-old sister.
On April 21, 2010, Bigtrack was drinking alcohol with family members while fishing within the Spirit Lake Indian Reservation. Around 6:30 that evening, Bigtrack’s mother asked her to go pick up some food at the home of a nearby relative. Bigtrack drove her vehicle and brought her sister and a female juvenile cousin along on the errand. While at the home of the relative, Bigtrack drank additional alcohol. Departing for home, Bigtrack and her passengers were joined by two additional passengers, who brought alcohol along in the vehicle. While driving around a curve, Bigtrack went off the road and overcorrected, causing the vehicle to skid sideways into an oncoming vehicle. Bigtrack’s 16-year-old sister was struck broadside in the crash and died later in a Devil’s Lake hospital. The couple in the backseat of Bigtrack’s vehicle sustained serious injuries. The juvenile passenger was unharmed in the crash. The driver of the other vehicle sustained serious injuries and her passenger escaped serious injury.
Judge Erickson sentenced Bigtrack to 12 months’ imprisonment to be followed by three years of supervised release. The first 12 months of the supervised release must be served at Centre, Inc., a residential re-entry in Fargo. Bigtrack was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $4,500 to the Spirit Lake Tribe for the victim’s funeral expenses. Bigtrack was also ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Crime Victim’s Fund.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Indian Affairs Law Enforcement, North Dakota Highway Patrol, and Fort Totten Police Department.
Assistant United States Attorney Janice M. Morley prosecuted the case.