Crow Agency man sentenced to 3 years and 10 months in prison for involuntary manslaughter

BILLINGS - A Crow Agency man who while driving drunk caused a wreck that killed two people was sentenced today to three years and 10 months in prison, followed by two years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Curtiss Lee Schenderline, 39, pleaded guilty in January 2026 to one count of involuntary manslaughter.

U.S. District Judge William W. Mercer presided.

The government alleged in court documents that Schenderline was driving under the influence of alcohol, crashed his truck into another vehicle, and killed two people.

Schenderline was driving on Crow Mountain Road near Crow Agency on May 3, 2024, when he crossed the center line of the roadway and struck an oncoming vehicle with three people inside. The wreck killed the driver, who was pronounced dead at the scene, and one of the passengers, who died hours later at a hospital. Before he died, the passenger told emergency responders that he watched Schenderline swerve into their lane of traffic and hit them.

A second passenger in the car was thrown through the windshield during the wreck, leaving her with multiple fractures, lacerations, and contusions. She was life-flighted to a Billings hospital. When Schenderline arrived at the hospital, doctors noted that he had slurred speech and smelled of alcohol. Blood tests confirmed he had alcohol in his system.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelsey M. Hendricks prosecuted the case. The BIA and Montana Highway Patrol conducted the investigation.