UPDATE: passenger identified as Thomas Barlese, 25 years old from Kyle, SD, died in the crash. Preliminary crash information indicates the driver of a 2001 Mercedes Benz C-Class was traveling southbound on Bombing Range Road near Sheep Mountain Road. The vehicle left the roadway to the right and overturned several times in the ditch. A passenger in the front seat was partially ejected during the crash and was pronounced deceased at the scene. The driver sustained serious, non-life-threatening injuries.
SCENIC, S.D. – A California man faces vehicular homicide charges following a single-vehicle rollover that killed a passenger early Friday morning in Pennington County, southeast of Rapid City, South Dakota.
Nicholas Foltz, 37, of Fort Bidwell, California, was taken into custody after law enforcement and medics responded to the scene on Bombing Range Road in Scenic during the early hours of Nov. 28.
According to a release from the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, first responders arrived to find the passenger of the vehicle deceased. Foltz, the driver, sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
Following an initial investigation at the scene, deputies arrested Foltz on charges of vehicular homicide and driving under the influence of alcohol, drugs or an intoxicant.
Officials have not released the name of the deceased passenger pending positive identification and notification of next of kin.
Multiple agencies responded to the incident outside of Rapid City, South Dakota, including the South Dakota Highway Patrol, the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety, the National Park Service and the Rapid City Fire Department.
