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An Affidavit for Probable Cause filed last week in Montana 18th Judicial District Court in Bozeman revealed disturbing details about a January 4 accident involving a wrong-way driver on Interstate 90 near Three Forks that claimed the life of 22-year-old Laysa Grewell.
Alexander Norbert LeDoux is facing eight charges in connection with the January 4 death of Grewell following a two-vehicle crash at Interstate 90 eastbound mile marker 278 near Three Forks.
Court documents state there is probable cause to charge LeDoux with Vehicular Homicide While Under the Influence, Fleeing and Eluding Causing the Death of Another, and six counts of Criminal Endangerment.
LeDoux allegedly drove his vehicle in the wrong direction on the Interstate for approximately 20 miles. According to the documents, following a blood test taken over 70 minutes after the fatal head-on collision, the toxicology report indicated LeDoux had a Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) of .198, well over twice the legal limit of .08.
The documents also reveal that LeDoux drove 108 mph near Manhattan for most of the unsent 2-minute Snapchat video on his phone.
In the affidavit, the first report of a wrong-way driver came from the driver of a commercial motor vehicle westbound on I-90 near Belgrade.
As the defendant continued to drive in the wrong direction, the documents state he encountered five more motorists, including Gallatin County Deputy Mitchell Sella, with two reporting they had to swerve to avoid a head-on collision and another stating the defendant struck her vehicle, taking off the driver side exterior side mirror.
“By 0133 hours, Gallatin County 911 center received a total of six 911 calls reporting the defendant as a wrong-way driver. The witnesses were consistent in describing the vehicle as either a light color or a white SUV with one headlight out. Deputy Sella received these reports and observed a vehicle matching the description traveling west in the eastbound lane at a high rate of speed. Deputy Sella positioned himself on the shoulder of the eastbound lanes with his lights and sirens activated. Deputy Sella attempted, but was unable to deploy a tire deflation device to slow or stop the vehicle. Despite the visual and audio warnings directing the defendant to pull his vehicle over, the defendant continued to drive in the wrong direction at an extremely high rate of speed. In response, Deputy Sella utilized a median crossover and turned around to pursue the vehicle and watched, from a distance, as the defendant collided head-on with another vehicle operated by Laysa Grewell,” states the affidavit.
Upon arrival at the scene of the crash, Montana Highway Patrol Trooper Jeff Sargent approached on foot and observed a vehicle that came to rest on its passenger side and reported it was unidentifiable due to the catastrophic front-end damage and the extensive burn damage but appeared to be a full-size Sport Utility Vehicle.
“The SUV came to rest off the main travel portion of the highway on asphalt laid by the construction company and next to the cable barrier. The area below and around the SUV was scorched by fire. Just a couple feet to the northeast of the SUV was a tarp which covered the driver, Grewell, the lone occupant of the SUV,” state the documents.
Approximately 100 feet to the west, Sargent reported a burned white Buick Enclave that came to rest on its wheels with the speedometer suspended in place with an indicated speed of approximately 96 mph. The motor of the Buick was reported to have been separated from the vehicle, coming to rest approximately 23 feet behind the vehicle.
Sargent reported observing several beer cans and inside the vehicle within immediate reach of the driver and an iPhone that was collected as evidence.
“After completing the crash investigation, Trooper Sargent formed the opinion that Grewell’s Ford Expedition was negotiating a gradual left curve in the roadway, proceeding east, with a partially obstructed view caused by the combination of the concrete jersey rail along the bridge deck and the slight uphill grade. While negotiating the gradual left curve, Grewell’s vehicle remained centered properly in the #1, or leftmost lane of travel,” states the affidavit. “At the same time, the Defendant’s Buick Enclave was proceeding west while driving in the eastbound lanes of travel and was ascending the slight uphill grade while negotiating the slight right curve in the road. The two vehicles collided in the center of the eastbound left lane of travel. The vehicles collided in a partially offset, large overlap frontal collision.”
The documents show that Grewell, who was ejected from the vehicle, was the mother of one child and found out one week before the crash that she was expecting a second child.
After securing a search warrant for LeDoux’s phone, Sargent found the Snapchat video that showed the defendant driving on I-90 near Manhattan.
“The music was blaring, and the operator of the Buick, the defendant, was holding the phone in his right hand. The video shows the Buick traveling at 108 mph for most of the 2 minutes the video was recorded. The instrument cluster, between the tachometer and speedometer, displayed a message to the effect of ‘Speed limited to 108 mph,” state the documents.
LeDoux is scheduled to make his initial appearance in Gallatin County District Court on March 28 at 9:30 a.m.
