Mother sentenced for DUI two years after daughter’s death

Two years after her daughters were struck by a drunk driver resulting in the death of her oldest, Gardnerville Ranchos resident Paula Montanucci was sentenced Wednesday for a second instance of driving under the influence.

Montanucci, 54, was arrested Oct. 10, 2023, after Douglas County dispatch received a call from Centerville Lane and Highway 88 of a road rage driver. The caller said a woman in a Toyota Tacoma pointed a gun at him and tried to ram his van.

Montanucci was followed to Mary Jo Drive and Rose Way in the Gardnerville Ranchos where she was ordered out of the vehicle by a deputy at gunpoint. It was discovered she did not have a gun or weapon, but she did fail a field sobriety test.

“No one knows better than this defendant the dangers of driving impaired,” said Prosecutor Eric Levin.

A blood draw at the time of her arrest indicated she had a .253 blood alcohol content, or three times the legal limit.

According to court records, this is Montanucci’s second DUI offense.

She was convicted of a DUI Aug. 27, 2019, after being arrested along Kingsbury Grade.

Montanucci addressed the court stating she has had a history of substance use as a way to cope with many tragic events throughout her life including the loss of her mother and brother within the same year.

“In leading to my recent DUI, I found out that the man who killed my daughter was moved to a halfway house in Las Vegas, where he would enjoy working in public with minimal restrictions,” said Montanucci. “I snapped; I blew a gasket. I felt defeated as a mother, the maternal guilt was overwhelming, and I felt hate and rage towards everyone and everything, especially him in my fragile self. I don’t know the future, I don’t know what kind of trauma is going to hit me again, but I do know that I do not want this kind of reaction again.”

The collision that killed Fallon Montanucci and injured her sister Avalon occurred April 23, 2022, on Highway 395 when Matthew Joseph Premo, 28, was driving up to 100 mph the wrong way.

Premo is currently housed at Casa Grande Transitional Housing in Las Vegas after being sentenced to 16-40 years in prison. According to the Nevada Department of Corrections, the earliest he could be released as of Thursday is May 8, 2038.

Montanucci was sentenced to 180 days in Douglas County Jail with 170 days suspended and was ordered to complete the remainder of the 10 days beginning on April 26. She is required to have an interlock device in her vehicle, complete a substance abuse evaluation and follow its recommendations, and be supervised by alternative sentencing.