A 28-year-old Montana mother of two named Aryan and Nation has been arrested for fatally beating a Native American woman while allegedly high on drugs – and then claiming she mistook the victim for a deer.
Sunny White was arrested in Flathead County on Friday on a warrant out of Lake County charging him with vehicular homicide while under the influence in the March 2023 death of 22-year-old Mika Westwolf.
Additional charges against White include accident involving another person or death, two counts of felony child endangerment and criminal possession of a dangerous drug.
Westwolf was walking along Highway 93 in the Arlee area in the early morning hours of March 31 when he was struck by White’s Cadillac Escalade carrying his 4-year-old daughter, Aryan Holmes, and his 2-year-old son, Nation. Holmes.
A subsequent search of White’s Cadillac turned up methamphetamine, a syringe and two unopened packages of Narcan, according to an affidavit filed in the case and cited by station KRTV. Blood tests showed that the mother of two had methamphetamine and fentanyl in her system at the time of the crash.
Sunny White, 28, was arrested on five charges, including vehicular homicide while under the influence, in a fatal hit-and-run accident in March 2023. Flathead County Detention Center White is accused of assaulting and killing Mika Westwolf, 22, a Native American woman from Montana. Sincerely Carissa Heavy Runner
The inquest into Westwolf’s death lasted 7 months, during which time the victim’s family led a statewide campaign to raise awareness of her case and others involving murdered and missing Aboriginal women — and demand White be held to account.
Carissa Heavy Runner, Westwolf’s mother, told The Missoulian that she was “delighted” to learn of White’s arrest.
“But I’m still a little surprised because it really seems like today is out of reach,” he added.
Westwolf, a member of the Blackfeet Nation, and his brother, Davian Howard, were returning from a bar in Ravalli after midnight on March 31 when for unknown reasons he got out of the car near North Valley Creek and walked away, leaving his phone behind.
Shortly after 4 a.m., Quartermaster TJ Haynes came upon Westwolf’s body on Highway 93, surrounded by wreckage from the crash.
Westwolf, a member of the Blackfeet Nation, was walking along Highway 93 near Arlee when White’s Cadillac Escalade struck him, authorities said. Sincerely Carissa Heavy Runner
About an hour later, a Lake County sheriff’s deputy spotted a gold 2008 Cadillac Escalade with front end damage and a missing side mirror parked outside Polson.
White, who was seen removing items from the damaged SUV and transferring them to another vehicle, told deputies that he hit a deer and did not stop.
“[White] claiming she gave the bottle back to her baby and didn’t see the deer,” the affidavit said.
The 28-year-old later told Montana Highway Patrol troopers who responded to the scene that he was driving with his two children from Butte to Kalispell over the weekend.
At the time of the incident, White was accused of high drug use while driving with his two young children named Aryan and Nation. Butte-Silver Bow Law Enforcement
He denied drinking alcohol and said he “hadn’t used methamphetamine or fentanyl in a week,” according to court documents.
White told troopers he thought he had hit a deer and swerved to the left.
Westwolf was hit and thrown into the air on impact, according to the affidavit. He died at the scene from multiple blunt force injuries.
After his death, the Westwolf family launched the “Mika Matters” movement to call for justice through protests and awareness movements.
Westwolf’s death inspired a statewide campaign demanding justice for murdered and missing Aboriginal women. Important Mica
Earlier this year, a petition was created on MoveOn.org calling on the Department of Justice to take over the investigation into Westwolf’s death, claiming that “local authorities are uncooperative and very slow.”
Following White’s arrest, Westwolf’s family released a statement, saying that this was “just the beginning of the journey to justice.”
“The struggle to find accountability, raise awareness, and protect the lives of Indigenous People and Relatives of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples remains an ongoing battle,” they said.
White is expected back in court for a hearing today.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
