On Jan. 30, a bill introducing tougher penalties for DUI offences passed Montana’s House Judiciary Committee. It now moves to the House for debate and, if approved, will go to the Senate.
Bobby’s Law was created after a drunk driver fatally struck Robert “Bobby” Dewbre in Columbia Falls on March 11, 2023. Due to state laws, prosecutors couldn’t pursue felony charges, as the court ruled negligence wasn’t proven. The driver received 18 months in jail, the maximum sentence for the misdemeanour convictions.
Harsher penalties for DUI drivers
The bill seeks to curb Montana’s high DUI rate by setting sentences from three to 30 years and fines between $10,000 and $50,000.
Canadian cyclist Cameron Jaeger was killed while riding in Montana when Darlene R. Severin, 46, struck him while driving drunk. Severin was sentenced to 30 years in prison, with 20 years suspended, following emotional testimonies in court. On April 27, 2024, she was driving with a blood alcohol level of 0.233—nearly three times the legal limit—near Clancy, Montana. She was speeding at 125 km/h in an 80 km/h zone and failed to brake until 0.06 seconds before the collision. Despite her nursing and military background, she fled the scene without offering aid and was later apprehended by police.
An open letter from a grieving mother
His mother wrote an open letter to politicians. “On the eve of the presentation of Bobby’s Law on the Montana House floor, I write to you as the anguished and broken mother of Cameron Jaeger, who was killed near Clancy, Montana, last April,” she wrote.
“At sentencing on Jan. 22, we were moved by the judge’s total rebuke of all of Darlene Severin’s excuses for having killed our son. He placed the blame squarely on her shoulders, quoted vivid and heartbreaking comments he had read and heard in pre-sentencing, and told her that nothing she did would ever repay what she stole from Cam and our family. He then chose to disregard the plea bargain Ms. Severin and her lawyer had agreed to, which would have reduced her sentence to seven years with no parole eligibility. Although he theoretically sentenced her to 10 years, she will be able to apply for parole in just two and a half years.”
Jaeger’s mother said she was appalled that a former nurse and military service member—who had pledged to serve the community—showed such disregard for human life.
She also noted that while nothing can bring back their son, the bill is a step toward…
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