Woman charged with running over pedestrian

A 45-year-old Kalispell woman faces two felony charges after a rental truck she was driving on South Hilltop Road in Columbia Falls allegedly hit and seriously injured a pedestrian.

Susan Pajnich was charged with negligent vehicular assault and criminal endangerment and faces up to 10 years in prison for each charge. She pleaded not guilty in Flathead County District Court on Sept. 18.

According to court documents, two local residents were standing on South Hilltop Road on June 23 about 11:15 p.m. looking at an injured cat laying in the roadway when a northbound Budget truck hit one of the residents and kept going.

The injured woman was transported to Kalispell Regional Medical Center and treated for serious head trauma.

A Montana Highway Patrol trooper tracked down the rental truck at a residence on Jellison Road and spoke to Pajnich. The trooper allegedly found two scuff marks on the truck’s front left bumper and a large red spot that appeared to be blood on the front suspension.

The trooper also reported that Pajnich’s breath smelled like alcohol and she appeared unsteady on her feet. She was transported to North Valley Hospital for a blood test that allegedly revealed a blood alcohol content of 0.28.

Pajnich later told the trooper she recalled feeling a large bump while driving down South Hilltop Road. She has a omnibus hearing set for Jan. 14.