Christol Williamson has charged in the death of former Butte High School teache Dan Lean, who died after being hit by a vehicle in December.
Williamson, 55 years old, was charged Wednesday with felony negligent homicide.
She is accused of hitting 76-year-old Lean with her vehicle as he was talking his daily walk on Amherst Avenue the morning of December 6th.
Williamson was charged in Butte Justice Court and released on her own recognizance.
Charging documents state that Williamson was driving to work east on Amherst just after 6:30 a.m. without her headlights on.
Her vehicle hit Lean, who was walking westbound in the parking lane of the street.
Williamson remained at the scene of the accident and cooperated with investigators.
No citations were issued or arrest made at the time of the accident. The Montana Highway Patrol investigated.
Lean coached basketball and football and taught in the math department at Butte High School for 30 years before retiring in the late 90s.
(DECEMBER 7, 2017) Former Butte High coach and teacher Dan Lean went for walk every morning to keep in shape even at age 76.
On Wednesday morning, just after 6:30, he was struck and killed by a motorist during his regular walk on Amherst Ave.
Butte police say a 55-year-old woman struck him while she was traveling east and he was walking west on the shoulder of the road. The accident remains under investigation.
“We’re going through that vehicle with a search warrant, getting a search warrant for cell phone usage trying to determine what occurred prior to Mr. Lean being hit,” said Butte Undersheriff George Skuletich.
Butte High counselor Jeff Arntson said Lean gave him his start at the school as a coach. Lean coached basketball and football and taught in the math department at Butte high for 30 years before retiring in the late 90s.
“He was just a great guy, always willing to help. He coached everything for the school: Coached football, basketball, track,” Arntson said.
Those who knew Dan Lean at Butte High School said he was a tireless educator, who was dedicated to the kids he taught and coached.
“He was always there for kids just to give them a hand and help. I respected him as a student and I respected him as a mentor and a coach,” Arntson said.
George Skuletich added, “He’s a good man, he was a good man to talk to I’ve known him forever, I’d see him every morning walking when I go to work out he’s always out here walking Elizabeth Warren or somewhere else, it’s just a sad circumstance.”
No citations or charges have been issued in this case as of Thursday. The Montana Highway Patrol is assisting in the investigation.
div[data-mml-type=”relatedcategory”]{border: thin solid #e7e7e7;} .categories-right-icon{display: none;} .stories-area > hr{margin: 0px;} .stories-area > iframe {border: white;} div[data-mml-type]{ overflow: hidden; } div[data-mml-status=”draft”] {display: none !important;} div.fb-post span, div.fb-post span iframe{max-width: 100%;} div[data-mml-type=”twitter”].left, div[data-mml-type=”instagram”].left, div[data-mml-type=”facebook”].left{ float: left; position: relative; overflow:hidden; max-width:100%;}div[data-mml-type=”twitter”].right,div[data-mml-type=”instagram”].right,div[data-mml-type=”facebook”].right{ float: right; position: relative; overflow:hidden; max-width:100%;}div[data-mml-type=”twitter”].center,div[data-mml-type=”instagram”].center,div[data-mml-type=”facebook”].center{ width: 100% !important; overflow:hidden; text-align: center;}div[data-mml-type=”twitter”].center iframe,div[data-mml-type=”twitter”].center twitterwidget,div[data-mml-type=”instagram”].center iframe,div[data-mml-type=”facebook”].center iframe{ margin: auto !important;}div[data-mml-type=”facebook”].center > span{ margin: auto !important; display: block !important;} .mml-display-none{display: none !important;} div[data-mml-type=”gmaps”], div[data-mml-type=”youtube”] {position:relative; width:100%; padding-bottom:56.25%;} div[data-mml-type=”gmaps”] iframe, div[data-mml-type=”youtube”] iframe {position:absolute; left:0; top:0;} div[data-embed-type=”clip”],div[data-mml-type=”clip”]{position: relative;padding-bottom: 56.25%;width: 100%;box-sizing: border-box;} div[data-embed-type=”clip”] iframe { position: absolute;}}div[data-embed-type=”social”], {position: relative;padding-bottom: 56.25%;width: 100%;box-sizing: border-box;} div[data-embed-type=”social”] iframe,div[data-mml-type=”clip”] iframe { position: absolute;}}.frankly-img{max-width:100%;}
