Driver Refuses Sobriety Tests During Highway 200 Stop in Missoula County

Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - On August 24, 2026, a Montana Highway Patrol Trooper was on duty in Missoula County near the Town Pump in Bonner. He observed a vehicle turn onto Highway 200 from First Street. Both of these roads are public highways and ways of the state open to the public. 

The trooper observed damage to the left rear quarter panel of the vehicle and that the driver’s side was missing a taillight. He also observed that the driver was not wearing a seatbelt. The trooper initiated a traffic stop.  

The vehicle came to a stop and rolled for a short distance, hitting the curb. The trooper approached the driver’s side of the vehicle and identified the driver as 36-year-old Trevor St. John. St. John stated the vehicle had been involved in a crash with a guard rail earlier in the day and that his daughter had been involved; however, later St. John stated that he had been driving at the time of the crash.  

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The trooper observed that St. John’s speech was slow and slurred; there was an odor of consumed alcoholic beverage on his breath, and he mumbled and was difficult to understand at times. The trooper also observed an open alcohol container on the floorboard in front of the center console.  

The trooper requested that St. John participate in standardized field sobriety tests, but St. John refused all testing. St. John also would not open his mouth to begin a deprivation period for a preliminary alcohol screening test and refused an implied consent blood test. The trooper obtained a warrant, and a blood test was administered. As of now, toxicology results are pending.  

According to court documents, St. John's criminal and driver history shows that he has three prior impaired driving convictions in Montana in 2008, 2013, and 2018, and has a prior implied consent refusal suspension in 2018. The trooper’s report indicates that the vehicle’s registration expired on June 30, 2026.  

READ MORE: Missoula News - Crime Reports

This case was filed directly to District Court. In addition to the referenced DUIs, St. John has been found in contempt of court in 2021 and has multiple insurance-related violations.  

St. John is currently being charged with felony aggravated DUI, unlawful possession of an open alcoholic beverage container in a motor vehicle on a highway, operating a motor vehicle with expired registration, failure to have a vehicle equipped with 1 or 2 tail lamps, and a seatbelt violation.  His bond was set at $30,000. 

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