Blackfoot Man Pleads Guilty to Involuntary Manslaughter

POCATELLO—Kendall Perry, 21, of Blackfoot, Idaho, pleaded guilty today in United States District Court in Pocatello to involuntary manslaughter, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced.

Perry, an enrolled member of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes, was indicted by a federal grand jury on October 23, 2012, on one count of involuntary manslaughter. According to the indictment, on June 30, 2012, Perry, who was intoxicated, was operating a 1999 GMC Yukon with gross negligence, causing a roll-over accident near the intersection of Philbin and Sheepskin Road that resulted in the death of Cullen Fightsover, a passenger in the vehicle.

An accident reconstructionist said the vehicle was traveling at 74 mph in a 50 mph zone. Perry ran a stop sign, went through the intersection, and then lost control and rolled into a field, ejecting the three occupants from the vehicle. Fightsover was life-flighted but was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Perry admitted drinking hard liquor and beer and admitted smoking marijuana in the hours before the crash. Perry admitted he was “buzzed” from the alcohol he had consumed.

The charge is punishable by up to eight years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release.

Sentencing is set for April 29, 2013, before Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill at the federal courthouse in Pocatello.

The case was investigated by the Fort Hall Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.