The 31-year-old accused of drunkenly killing a Flathead Valley woman in a New Year's Day wreck near Bigfork in 2025 is expected to take a plea deal.  

Kala Renee Knaus of Kalispell pleaded not guilty to a single felony count of vehicular homicide while under the influence last year. But documents filed by defense attorney Sean Hinchey in Flathead County District Court earlier this month indicated that Knaus had reached a plea agreement with prosecutors.

Judge Heidi Ulbircht, who is presiding over the case, has since set a change of plea hearing for Feb. 19.  

Knaus is accused of killing Alyssa Sladek in an alcohol-fueled wreck near the intersection of Montana 35 and Holt Drive about 1:25 a.m. When first responders arrived at the scene they found Sladek dead behind the wheel of a heavily damaged red Kia Rio and an allegedly belligerent Knaus inside a Subaru Forester. Testing later determined her blood alcohol content was at 0.188, which is more than twice the legal limit, according to court documents.  

Investigators concluded that Knaus was driving north on Montana 35 when she crossed the center line and headed into the southbound lane, striking Sladek's Kia. Sladek died from blunt force trauma suffered during the collision, court documents said.  

Friends described Sladek as selfless, kind and empathetic. She had spent the night ringing in the new year with family and then friends in Kila, Evergreen and Kalispell before heading back toward her home near Bigfork.  

“She had a life, values, things she was contributing," friend Sierra Claridge told the Daily Inter Lake in August. "Alyssa’s contributions to the world were not small." 

Released from custody on a $250,000 property bond posted in July, Knaus had been expected to stand trial in March. In December, prosecutors filed a petition to revoke her freedom, citing violations of the conditions of her release. Knaus, who was required to submit to remote breath testing, missed a test in November and three in December, according to court documents.  

Hinchey filed a motion to quash the warrant for Knaus' arrest on Dec. 23, arguing that the 31-year-old had not intentionally skipped the tests. He wrote that Knaus had switched from breath monitoring to transdermal alcohol monitoring to prevent another missed test. 

"The defendant has maintained sobriety and has demonstrated this through continued treatment participation at Oxytocin, twice weekly urinalysis, and attending AA meetings," Hinchey wrote.  

On Jan. 6, Hinchey filed an unopposed motion to vacate the scheduled revocation hearing. Among the reasons to forgo the court appearance, Hinchey wrote that "a plea agreement has been reached in this matter, and a change of plea hearing is respectfully requested." 

A copy of the plea agreement has not yet been filed in district court. 

News Editor Derrick Perkins can be reached at 758-4430 or [email protected].