Woman Convicted In Fatal Hit-And-Run Gets 40 Years

A 25-year-old Stevensville woman convicted of vehicular homicide after a hit-and-run crash that killed a man on New Year's Day 2008 has been sentenced to 40 years in prison.

District Judge John Larson sentenced Katie Garding on Tuesday and ordered her to pay $70,379 in restitution.

Police say Garding was driving drunk when she struck and killed 25-year-old Bronson Parsons of Troy as he and a friend walked along Highway 200 near Missoula. She was arrested after police received a tip from a man who said she sought his help in fixing a broken turn signal with duct tape hours after the crash.

Garding, who was convicted in June of vehicular homicide and leaving the scene, maintained her innocence again Tuesday.

Associated Press