A repeat offender behind the wheel

Brian Scott Nowicki, 49, of Grandville, was arraigned Monday in Montcalm County on 10 charges stemming from a four-vehicle crash that killed two 17-year-old young parents and injured a woman from Saginaw. Magistrate Dennis Magirl set bond at $2 million.

Nowicki is accused of causing the crash on M-46 near Derby Road in Belvidere Township at approximately 11:11 p.m. on Thursday, June 18. Michigan State Police say alcohol was a factor.

"The defendant is a clear danger to the public," said Montcalm County Prosecutor Tom Ginster in court Monday.

Ginster also said the state reserves the right to amend the charges to two counts of second-degree murder.

Two young parents. One infant.

The two teens killed were identified by family as Latrese McFerrin and Mark Pettengill, both 17 years old from Lakeview. They were the parents of a 5-month-old son.

Family members created a GoFundMe page to help cover funeral costs for the couple. According to the Daily News, the page is at gofundme.com/f/support-for-young-parents-funeral-son.

Nowicki's vehicle rear-ended the Chevrolet Cruze driven by Pettengill with McFerrin as a passenger. The force of the collision spun the Cruze into the eastbound lanes of M-46. An eastbound Ford F-150 struck the Cruze first. Then an eastbound Chevrolet Traverse T-boned it.

The F-150 and Traverse were driven by a husband and wife from Saginaw who were traveling home in separate vehicles. Melba Peterson, the driver of the Traverse, was transported to a local hospital for treatment.

A history of drunken driving

Ginster told the court that Nowicki is a repeat offender with convictions in multiple states.

• Two convictions for operating while intoxicated in California in 2022 and 2025
• One conviction for operating while intoxicated in Missouri in 2025, with a pending failure to appear charge
• A guilty plea in April 2025 in Barry County for operating while intoxicated second offense

In that Barry County case, a judge sentenced Nowicki to one year in jail suspended if he completed two years of probation. Conditions included outpatient treatment, wearing an alcohol monitoring device, and serving 30 days of jail on weekends.

Nowicki violated that probation by testing positive for alcohol in September 2025. He pleaded guilty, then cut off his alcohol monitoring device and left the state without permission, according to Ginster.

A Barry County judge sentenced Nowicki to 175 days in jail in January for failing to appear on absconding probation charges. Ginster said Nowicki received credit for 73 days served and was released from the Barry County Jail in May 2025.

"That didn't work out so well," Ginster said.

Charges and what comes next

Nowicki faces the following charges, according to court records:

1. Two counts of operating while under the influence of liquor causing death
2. Operating while intoxicated causing serious injury
3. Two counts of operating while license revoked causing death
4. Operating while license revoked causing serious injury
5. Three counts of assaulting, resisting or obstructing a police officer
6. Having an open container of alcohol in the vehicle

Montcalm County Public Defense Administrator Matt Nave entered a not guilty plea on behalf of Nowicki for all 10 charges.

Nowicki is next scheduled to appear in court for a probable cause conference on July 1, followed by a preliminary examination if needed on July 7.

Michigan State Police officers Noah Kellogg, Riley Radcliff, and Steven Schutter were the officers Nowicki allegedly assaulted after the crash.