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Bozeman man accused of killing bicyclist while he was driving under the influence

Chad Alexander Basaites was arrested Saturday night
Posted at 10:50 AM, Dec 16, 2019
and last updated 2019-12-17 11:13:07-05

BOZEMAN — Chad Alexander Basaites of Bozeman was arrested late Saturday night after allegedly hitting a female bicyclist with his vehicle as he was driving while intoxicated.

Basaites, 27 years old, appeared in Gallatin County Justice Court on Monday, charged with vehicular homicide while under the influence.



According to court documents, Basaites called 911 around 11:40 p.m. Saturday to report he had hit a bicyclist on N. 19th Avenue at Rawhide Ridge Road.

A Bozeman police officer less than a block away arrived and began to perform CPR on the woman. Emergency responders pronounced her dead at approximately 11:50 p.m.

A second officer reportedly interviewed Basaites at the scene, who said he had consumed “three or four” drinks at a Christmas party that evening. The officer noted that Basaites had red eyes and was slurring his words and swaying.

Court documents say Basaites’ performance on field sobriety tests indicated he was under the influence. He allegedly refused a breath test and was then arrested and taken to the Gallatin County Detention Center. Police were granted a search warrant to draw a blood sample from Basaites.

Basaites told officers he was headed north on 19th Avenue in the right-hand lane when the woman suddenly appeared in front of him, in his lane, with no lights.

The reporting detective said in court documents that evidence at the scene indicated the woman was riding on the shoulder, to the right of the fog line. Evidence from Basaites’ vehicle reportedly indicated that he was driving on the shoulder, outside the normal lane of travel at the point of impact.

At this time, MTN News is not releasing the name of the woman who died, pending confirmation of notification of family members; we will update you when we get more information.

(UPDATE, 1:59 pm) The woman who died has been identified as Alexa Jane Dzintars.