Missoula Man Passes Out Behind the Wheel, Caught With Fentanyl

Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - At approximately 12:04 p.m. on October 30, 2023, a Missoula Police Department Officer was dispatched to the Ace Hardware parking lot for a report of a male who was passed out behind the wheel of a vehicle and next to drug paraphernalia. 

The officer arrived and contacted the driver. The keys were in the ignition and the vehicle was running. The officer instructed the driver, later identified as 18-year-old Robert Martinez with his Tribal Identification card, to turn the vehicle off. The officer observed several pieces of tin foil with what looked like burnt residue inside the vehicle in plain view. 

The officer asked him to step out of the vehicle. Martinez started to reach under the driver's seat. It appeared to the officer that Martinez was either trying to retrieve something from under the seat or he was trying to push something out of the officer’s view. The officer told Martinez to stop reaching under his seat and to get out of the vehicle.  

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The officer opened the driver's door, pulled Martinez from the car, and detained him in handcuffs. While handcuffing Martinez, the officer observed a small plastic bag containing several fentanyl pills. Martinez dropped the bag on the ground and the officer escorted him to the front of the patrol vehicle.  

Due to the behavior described by the reporting party and the presence of fentanyl, the officer asked medical to check on Martinez. When MESI and the fire department arrived, the officer overheard Martinez tell them he had consumed fentanyl. 

According to court documents, the officer logged the 33 fentanyl pills into an evidence locker at the Missoula Police Department. Martinez is currently being charged with felony criminal possession of dangerous drugs and criminal possession of drug paraphernalia. 

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