MARQUETTE - A Powell Township woman was arraigned Monday in Marquette County District Court, accused of operating a vehicle while intoxicated, resulting in the death of a 21-year-old Big Bay man early Saturday.
Amy Lynn Tierrablanca, 34, of Big Bay was arraigned on the single count, which is punishable by up to 15 years in prison or a fine of $2,500 to $10,000. She is being held in the Marquette County Jail on a $250,000 cash or surety bond. Tierrablanca is scheduled to appear next in district court for a preliminary examination at 11 a.m. Feb. 24.
Michigan State Police troopers from the Negaunee regional post said the crash killed Michael Tyler Abbott. The Fassbender Funeral Home announced in an obituary today visitation for Abbott will be held from 3 to 4 p.m. Friday at St. Mary Catholic Church in Big Bay, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial to be celebrated at 4 p.m., with the Rev. Ryan Ford as celebrant.
State police were dispatched shortly after 3 a.m. Saturday to a single-vehicle rollover accident, which occurred along Marquette County Road 550, south of County Road KH.
Police said a northbound vehicle ran off the roadway, hit a snowbank, rolled and then struck the guy wire of a utility pole. First responders found Abbott trapped inside the vehicle. He was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash.
Troopers talked with several witnesses and allegedly identified Tierrablanca as the driver of the vehicle. Marquette City Police Department officers assisted troopers by interviewing witness Clarissa Bean at Marquette General Health System, who had been hurt while riding in the crashed vehicle. Troopers said the 21-year-old Bean of Big Bay sought her own treatment for injuries and was later released from the hospital.
The obituary stated Abbott was born in Omaha, Neb., and raised there until he moved to Big Bay with his family in 1998. He was a Negaunee High School graduate and worked for the Kiskis Logging Co.
John Pepin can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 206.
