BOZEMAN, Mont. (AP) - A Manhattan man who was charged with killing his wife in a drunken driving crash in January 2012 received a $100,000 settlement in a lawsuit that alleged investigators conducted warrantless searches and failed to preserve key evidence and that prosecutors did not have grounds to file charges.
District Judge Mike Salvagni dismissed the vehicular homicide charge against Michael Soule in December 2014. Salvagni said the Montana Highway Patrol failed to preserve potentially exculpatory evidence and recordings of witness interviews.
Salvagni said an affidavit of probable cause did not include the fact that Soule’s DNA was found only on the passenger side air bag while his wife’s was on both front seat air bags.
The Bozeman Daily Chronicle reports (bit.ly/2nLZLN2) the state did not admit any liability in settling the lawsuit.
___
Information from: Bozeman Daily Chronicle, https://www.bozemandailychronicle.com
Please read our comment policy before commenting.