Ovando Man Pleads Guilty To DUI Injury Crash

An Ovando man has pleaded guilty to driving drunk and running vehicles off Montana Highway 200 last fall before sideswiping a trailer and hitting a minivan, seriously injuring three people. Thomas Arthur Rue pleaded guilty Thursday to three counts of negligent vehicular assault resulting in serious bodily injury. Missoula County prosecutors will recommend he spend two years in prison when he is sentenced on Feb. 9.

Rue was charged after a collision on Oct. 23, 2010 that injured a couple and their child. Court records say 21-year-old Anna and 3-year-old Adrianna Chinikaylo were treated in Seattle for Anna's "destroyed" hip and Adrianna's broken vertebrae. Rue's attorney, Paul Ryan, says he'll likely seek a sentence that involves probation or treatment for his client, a Vietnam veteran.

Story From Associated Press