Probationer Gets Caught With Meth and Fentanyl in Missoula

Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - On April 14, 2023, Missoula Police Department Officers were called to an area in the 1000 block of S. 1st St. W. for a welfare check on a male who was reported to be unconscious in a vehicle and did not appear to be breathing. The vehicle was described as a black Chevy Impala, which was registered to 29-year-old Cody Thomas. 

The officers arrived and observed Thomas with no shirt on, sitting in the driver’s seat of the vehicle. Officers made several attempts to wake Thomas and when he finally woke up, he seemed surprised and unaware of his surroundings. Court documents indicate Thomas did not seem to know where he was or that the people waking him up were law enforcement officers. 

Once Thomas realized they were law enforcement officers, he began looking around his vehicle in a panicked state, his muscles appeared rigid, and his movements were abrupt and jerky. An officer also noticed that Thomas’ pupils were constricted, which the officer recognized as a result of the ingestion of narcotic analgesics, such as opiates.  

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During the investigation, officers learned that Thomas was on probation and a probation officer advised that she would be responding to the scene. Thomas continued to have frantic movements, so officers opted to detain him and place him in handcuffs for their safety. During this time, an officer asked that medical personnel respond and evaluate Thomas as he appeared to be slipping in and out of consciousness. When the PO arrived, she requested a search be conducted of Thomas’ vehicle. 

Within the vehicle, the PO located a red fanny pack on the front passenger seat. Inside the fanny pack, she located a small baggie, which contained two blue pills and a fragment of another. The pills were imprinted with “M 30” and based on the MPD officer’s training and experience, he recognized them as fentanyl pills. The PO also located a scale, several baggies with residue, and a plastic film with a clear crystalline substance inside that the MPD officer recognized as methamphetamine. Officers also located a separate unknown powdery substance in a backpack in the backseat of the vehicle. 

The officer was informed that Thomas would need to be transported to St. Patrick Hospital for further medical clearance, as he was passing in and out of consciousness. The officer responded to the hospital and while there, Thomas stated that the unknown substance that was found in the backpack was vitamin C and he uses vitamin C as a cutting agent for fentanyl, stating the acidity helps break down the fentanyl prior to being used. Once Thomas was medically cleared, he was transported to the Missoula County Jail. 

Thomas is currently being charged with one count of felony criminal possession of dangerous drugs. On April 18, 2023, Thomas made his initial appearance in Missoula Justice Court and his bond was set at $10,000 for the drug charge and $50,000 for the probation violation. 

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