Missoula Police Arrest Man for His 8th DUI

Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - On March 22, 2025, at approximately 3:09 PM, Missoula Police Department officers were dispatched to a request for a welfare check at Mountain America Credit Union on North Reserve Street. Dispatch had broadcasted a report of an individual parked and passed out inside a vehicle in the parking lot.  

Officers arrived and observed a white GMC pickup parked outside of a designated parking spot. While there were numerous empty parking spaces, the truck was parked in the lane of travel and obstructed the flow of traffic through the parking area.  

A male, identified as 63-year-old Kenneth Sjarpe, was inside the vehicle sleeping in the driver’s seat. The vehicle was not running, but the keys were in the ignition. Officers observed an open container of an alcoholic beverage on the driver-side dash. The officers asked Sjarpe if he needed medical attention, and he declined. 

The officer requested that Sjarpe step out of the vehicle to investigate him for DUI. Another officer observed Sjarpe take the keys out of the ignition. As Sjarpe exited his vehicle and walked toward the front of the patrol car, the officer noted the odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from Sjarpe’s person. The officer requested that Sjarpe perform Standardized Field Sobriety Testing, which Sjarpe refused.  

According to court documents, Sjarpe admitted that he had been consuming alcohol, but stated that he did not start drinking until after he had parked. Sjarpe also tried to claim that the keys were not in the ignition.  

During the conversation with Sjarpe, the officer continued to detect the odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from Sjarpe’s breath. The officer read Sjarpe the Preliminary Alcohol Screen Test Advisory and requested a breath sample, but Sjarpe refused.  

READ MORE: Missoula News – Crime Reports 

The officers placed Sjarpe under arrest, and while conducting a search, they located a pipe on Sjarpe’s person, which appeared to contain burnt marijuana residue. The officer read Sjarpe the Implied Consent Advisory, but Sjarpe refused to provide a blood sample.  

The officer applied for and was granted a search warrant for a blood draw by Judge Holloway. Officers transported Sjarpe to St. Patrick Hospital, where a blood draw was completed. Then Sjarpe was transported to the Missoula County Detention Center. 

The officer learned that Sjarpe has seven DUI convictions out of Minnesota. He is currently being charged with felony DUI. 

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