A Butte woman who rolled a vehicle after drinking and killed a friend must share her story with area high schools, a judge ruled in December.
Mariah Mosdal was 19 when she and college friends went to the Delmoe Lake area for a party about two years ago. She lost control of the vehicle and it rolled, pinning victim Molly Griswold beneath, killing her immediately. Mosdal admitted her guilt to felony negligent homicide and operating a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol content of .02 or more while under age 21.
In district court in Boulder December 14 Mosdal was sentenced to six years on probation and fined $2500 for the homicide and $500 for the driving offense. She was also ordered to undergo a chemical dependency evaluation and any recommended treatment at her own expense, to stay away from alcohol and illegal drugs, and to observe other conditions of probation. If she successfully completes four years of probation, she may apply for a reduction in her probation, ordered Judge Loren Tucker.
Tucker also ordered Mosdal to do presentations at Jefferson High, Butte High and Butte Cen- tral on the dangers of drinking and driving. According to court records, Mosdal had a BAC of .046, which is under the legal limit of .08 for adults but over the .02 limit set for drivers under age 21.
In another case heard December 14, James T. Whitted entered guilty pleas to felony possession of marijuana, misdemeanor possession of hashish and driving without a valid driver’s license. The plea came as part of a plea bargain that dismissed three misdemeanor charges of drug paraphernalia possession, failing to have liability insurance and driving with an expired registration.
The agreement also reduced the hash charge from a felony to a misdemeanor. Whitted was sentenced to three years on probation for the felony, and six months in jail plus a $125 fine for each of the other charges. All but 21 days of the jail time was suspended and credit for 21 days served was applied. Judge Tucker also ordered Whitted to pay court fees and surcharges, to undergo a chemical dependency evaluation and recommended treatment at his own expense, and to observe other conditions while on probation.
