After a Helena man died in a high-speed chase, running his car into a Broadwater County deputy's vehicle, a jury unanimously declared the death a suicide.
A coroner's inquest happened Thursday, which is required for deaths involving law enforcement to determine if authorities are at fault. Lewis and Clark County Sheriff/Coroner Leo Dutton presided to prevent conflict of interest.
On Jan. 18, 2024, Tyler James Leslie, 30, slid off the road on U.S. Highway 287 in Broadwater County, when law enforcement was first called, reporting a single-vehicle accident.
Multiple law enforcement officers responded, including Montana Highway Patrol trooper Dietrizch Lind and a U.S. Forest Service vehicle, according to information provided at the inquest.
Lind spoke with Leslie and noticed Leslie had bloodshot eyes and spoke very deliberately. He also knew Leslie had been seen throwing up out of his vehicle earlier. Lind told Leslie he'd need to check for DUI, and as Lind walked back to his patrol vehicle, Leslie drove away.
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At a coroner's inquest held Thursday at Broadwater County Courthouse, Lind said Leslie had been very cooperative up until that moment.
Lind followed Leslie as they climbed up to 99 mph driving southbound on the highway, dodging moderate traffic on one-lane roads, dashcam footage showed.
While this happened, Broadwater County Sheriff's Deputy Aaron Reynolds came from the opposite direction, driving slowly behind a semitruck.
Reynolds originally thought he was responding to the possible DUI, but he quickly realized the chase coming toward him was the same case, he said at the inquest.
He said he turned his lights on and planned to wait until Leslie had passed him to follow. But soon after Reynolds turned his lights on, Leslie suddenly turned his wheel, slamming his Toyota truck into the deputy's vehicle in a near-head-on collision.
Both vehicles were thrown off the road. Leslie died on impact.
MHP trooper and traffic homicide investigator Amanda Villa said at the inquest the deputy's vehicle was forced backward at 37 mph.
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Reynolds doesn't remember the crash well, he said at the inquest, but he saw Leslie's hands pull the wheel toward him.
He didn't have time to react, just thinking to himself, "Oh."
Reynolds suffered a traumatic brain injury, which brought him double vision and light sensitivity he wears glasses for. He also has a brain cyst that is suspected to be linked to the brain injury.
His hand was broken, the ligaments in his foot were torn, and nearly a year later, he has multiple weekly treatments for his back, neck and eyes.
In the moments after the collision, Reynolds climbed out of the passenger door, the driver's side too mangled to open. He ignored an incoming call from his wife and worried the situation was still hostile.
"I was rattled," Reynolds said at the inquest.
Lind said there was no movement from Leslie, and he was confirmed to be dead soon after.
The inquest and autopsy revealed Leslie had a blood ethanol level of .153%, nearly double the legal limit to drive. It also revealed Leslie didn't have any drugs in his system other than prescription SSRIs.
The autopsy concluded he died of multiple blunt-force injuries. Later investigation found he wasn't wearing a seatbelt at the time of collision, and he had multiple alcohol containers in his vehicle.
The road was clear in front of Leslie, so it was unlikely he was swerving away from an obstacle, Villa said.
Leslie had also posted on Facebook hours before the collision, apologizing to loved ones and wishing them well, it was noted at the inquest.
At the coroner's inquest, multiple jury members became emotional. In less than an hour, they unanimously ruled the death a suicide, absolving law enforcement of any responsibility.
Dutton thanked the jury for their work and offered his condolences to Leslie's and Reynolds' families.
"This death is certainly a tragedy," Dutton said. "I sincerely hope and feel justice has been served."
Christine Compton is a reporter for the Helena Independent Record.
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