Snowy Road Excuse: Missoula Driver’s DUI Arrest Raises Eyebrows

Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - On February 9, 2025, at approximately 5:00 PM, a Missoula Police Department officer was on patrol near North Russell Street and Wyoming Street. The officer saw a vehicle drift in the intersection, and if there was a lane line in the intersection, the vehicle would have crossed over or at least driven on the line briefly separating the two driving lanes. The officer initiated a traffic stop on South Russell Street and 10th Steet West.  

The driver came to a stop and pulled along the south curb line facing the wrong way on South 10th Street West. The driver told the officer that the snow on the road was making them swerve while driving. The officer explained to them that the Southbound Lane of Russell Street did not have snow on it and they were swerving over their lane to where there was snow. The driver maintained that the snow was causing their driving behavior. 

The driver did not have her driver’s license and verbally identified herself as 47-year-old Carol Jones. Jones also admitted that she had a revoked driver’s license. When the officer asked why, she told him, “Because I’m looking at a DUI”.  

The officer confirmed that Jones was just arrested for DUI on January 10, 2025.  Jones agreed to take Standardized Field Sobriety Tests. The officer asked Jones if she had consumed any alcohol or drugs to which she claimed “no”. When asked about prescription drugs, Jones stated that she took Prozac and Strattera.  

Jones exhibited 17/18 clues of impairment. The officer then obtained consent for a preliminary breath test which returned .000 which was plausible given the suspicion of a dangerous drug DUI.  

Following the preliminary breath test, the officer read Jones an implied consent and requested that she take a blood test to which she consented. The officer placed Jones under arrest and searched her incident to arrest. In her pocket, the officer discovered a large clear plastic container and two pills. Jones identified the pills as ibuprofen.  

READ MORE: Missoula News - Crime Reports

Using the drugs.com pill identifier, the officer was able to identify the light greenish/yellow round pill as Klonopin. Jones was transported to St. Patrick’s hospital and a legal blood draw was performed. The blood is pending analysis at the Montana State Crime Lab. 

Then Jones was booked into the Missoula County Detention Facility. According to court documents, Jones told the officer that she regularly takes the following prescription drugs: Strattera, Prozac, Gabapentin, Klonopin, and Seroquel. She also stated that she smokes marijuana 2-3 nights a week and uses methamphetamine 2-3 times a week. 

Jones is currently being charged with felony DUI. According to the jail roster, her bond was set at $150,000. 

The information in this article was obtained from sources that are publicly viewable.