Montana man charged with killing Troutdale family
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) -- A 43-year-old Montana man is being held on $2 million bail for allegedly causing a head-on crash that killed a Troutdale family of 4 in October.
Jesse Carl Ross was indicted for 4 counts of manslaughter in Deschutes County after the crash on October 12. A nationwide warrant for his arrest was issued and Ross surrendered December 26.
Along with manslaughter, Ross is also facing DUII, reckless driving and reckless endangering.
The crash happened around 7:30 p.m. when a Chevy Silverado crossed the Highway 97 center line and sideswiped a southbound commercial truck and trailer and slammed into a Toyota RAV4.
The Toyota caught fire, killing Gary Rutledge, 57, Michelle Rutledge, 53, and their children, Kate, 15 and 17-year-old Ryan. Both teens were students at Reynolds High School.
The family was on their way to see the solar eclipse in central Oregon at the time of the crash.
Ross was arraigned December 28 and remains behind bars at this time.