License Plate Leads Police to Truck in Montana Crash
A New Year’s Day crash into a power pole left at least 1,000 Butte, Mont., homes in the dark, but a license plate left at the scene shed some light on who might have been responsible.
Police say 36-year-old Erik Wayne Mahkuk of Butte fled after the crash near the intersection of Motor View and Ram roads in south Butte.
The Montana Standard reports that later that morning police arrived at Mahkuk’s residence about the same time Mahkuk pulled up in his Chevy Silverado pickup.
Police say Mahkuk failed field-sobriety tests and was arrested. Authorities say it would be Mahkuk’s fourth DUI, making it a felony offense.
Copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Popular Today
- Credit Acceptance Reaches $710M Predatory Auto Lending Settlement With Most States
- The Great Hemp Reset: How the Federal Ban on Intoxicating Hemp Products Will Reshape Risk and Coverage
- Torrential Rain Brings Deadly Floods Back to East Coast of Spain
- Suspended Glencore Exec Told Radiant ‘Say Nothing on Email’
Popular This Month
- Florida Bans Flock Cameras, License Plate Readers From State Roads
- Londoners Find ‘Horrendous’ Cracks in Their Homes After Successive Heat Waves
- The Nation’s Insurance Laboratory: What Liability Trends in California Mean for the Rest of the Country
- Are We Training Claims Adjusters or Claims Processors?