Pregnant Woman Arrested for Drunk Driving With Infant in Missoula

Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - At approximately 1:48 p.m. on October 29, 2025, Missoula Police received a report of a possible intoxicated driver with an infant in the vehicle in the area of 3850 Reserve St. An employee of a nearby business reported that she had seen a female drinking in her store and smelled alcohol on her. She also said the woman had an infant with her and drove away towards Kohl's and Cabelas. The witness provided a vehicle description and license plate number.  

An MPD crash investigator observed a vehicle matching the general vehicle description. They observed the vehicle driving on Mount Avenue and followed it, which turned onto Russell St. The vehicle then turned east on S. 6th St. East, then made a very slow turn onto California St., at which point the investigator confirmed the license plate matched.

The vehicle turned West on S. 5th St. and then North on Russell, at which point it was failing to maintain its lane and slowly swerving left and right. The vehicle turned onto S. 3rd St., continuing to swerve, and eventually turned into the parking lot of Papa Murphy’s Pizza and stopped. 

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Officers stopped the driver and identified her

Officers responded to the scene, pulled behind the vehicle, and made contact with the driver, identified as 36-year-old J. Bennett. According to an officer, Bennett seemed to be confused and stated she was coming from Winco. The officer observed that a young child was buckled into a car seat and was asleep in the back seat of the vehicle. 

Then the officer spoke with the witness who had called in the incident. She stated that Jennifer had been “swaying,” “obviously had been drinking,” and that she didn’t think she was “smashed out of her mind, but she definitely had been drinking.”  

Meanwhile, an officer administered standardized field sobriety tests and observed six of six standardized clues on the horizontal gaze nystagmus test, four of eight on the walk and turn test, and two of four on the one-legged stand test. 

Bennett consented to a preliminary breath test, which showed a breath alcohol concentration of .295, which is well over three times the legal limit. A criminal history report showed that Bennett had two prior impaired driving convictions, both from 2009.  

READ MORE: Missoula News – Crime Reports 

According to court documents, officers spoke with family members of Bennett, who expressed that they were concerned about her drinking, noting that she is currently pregnant. 

Bennett was arrested and transported to the Missoula County Detention Center. She is currently being charged with felony child criminal endangerment. 

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