Trial begins in case of Missoula deputy charged with speeding in crash that killed man

A trial began on Thursday in the case of a Missoula County Sheriff's Office deputy who's fought a misdemeanor speeding charge in a crash that killed a man all the way to a jury.

Michael Baker is being tried in Missoula County Justice Court in front of Judge Kelly Mantooth, a Justice of the Peace who typically practices in Fergus County Justice Court.

In opening arguments, prosecutor Matt Jennings said the jury will be tasked with deciding if law enforcement officers should be held to the same standard as regular citizens, while defense attorney Lance Jasper argued Baker was following law enforcement protocols the day the crash occurred.

On May 14, 2024, Baker, his superior in the Missoula County Sheriff's Office, and an FBI vehicle were on their way to serve a search warrant south of Lolo, according to charging documents. Baker was in front. They were going 84 miles per hour in an area with a speed limit of 70 miles per hour, without lights or sirens. As they were driving to the scene, an 81-year-old man named Gaylord Angst drove out from an intersecting street directly into Baker's path. Baker was unable to brake in time and collided with Angst. Angst was pronounced dead on the scene, and Baker was seriously injured. Angst was not supposed to be driving due to some mental and physical conditions and did not have right of way, according to charging documents.

Baker was not charged with anything to do with Angst's death, and both sides classified the death as a tragic accident. But the county attorney's office did charge Baker with speeding, a misdemeanor.

"He was charged in this case with speeding, just like anybody else would," Jennings said in his opening statements. "The question you're gonna be asked essentially is, are law enforcement officers held to the same standard that everybody else is."

In his opening statements, Jasper argued that at least in this case, they shouldn't be.

Jasper laid out more details about the day in question. He told the jury that Baker's convoy was on their way to secure evidence in a case of crimes against children, where the evidence in question was digital and could easily be deleted if the suspect called his parents, who were present in the residence. According to Jasper, the suspect in question was in Missoula, and detectives wanted the residence secured before they spoke to him.

According to Jasper, while Baker was at the head of the convoy, he wasn't in charge. Jasper said Baker was ordered to pick up the pace because the detectives in Missoula suspected the suspect had noticed them. He said the convoy wasn't using lights and sirens to avoid tipping off the people in the residence they were going to search.

"A decision was made in briefing to not use lights and sirens," Jasper said, adding it's standard practice among Montana law enforcement to train their officers to use lights and sirens when practical, not all the time.

According to Montana statute, law enforcement must use lights and sirens if they're violating traffic laws. Jasper said that this statute hasn't been amended significantly since 1955 and is outdated.

"Training and policies of those departments have to be modified for changing times," Jasper said. "In 1955, evidence couldn't be deleted with a keystroke."

Testimony began Thursday and was slated to continue through at least the rest of the day. The case will then be turned over to the jury for a decision.