Habitual Offender Steals Chips From a Missoula Hotel

Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - On September 22, 2025, at approximately 1:34 a.m., Missoula Police Department Officers responded to the Hilton Garden Inn on North Reserve St. regarding a burglary. The complainant reported to Dispatch that 33-year-old Chantal Amador entered the Hilton and stole food from their pantry. The complainant stated that Amador was trespassed from the hotel on a prior occasion.  

An officer located Amador nearby and she was carrying a bag of Lay’s potato chips. She stated her name is “Destiny Gates,” but the officer could not locate a matching return for that name. Another officer soon arrived on scene and positively identified Amador as Amador based on numerous prior contacts with law enforcement.  

The officer asked Amador if she is staying at the hotel. Amador replied, “Yeah, I was supposed to when my phone died. Sorry. I will cashapp them or booking them [Unintelligible] I have two dollars.” 

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She Offers to Pay for the Chips 

Then the officer arrested Amador and advised her of her charges. Amador said something to the effect of, “Theft, I don't give a f**k. That's not theft. I'll give you $2 for your chips right now.” 

During the drive to the jail, Amador made repeated racial slurs against the officer. Specifically, she said, “Do you even speak English? You don't belong in this country if you act like this. Get the f**k out of America. Stupid Ching Ching. That's why America doesn’t trust Chinese people like you.”  

Meanwhile, an officer responded to the Hilton to interview employees about the situation. A manager said Amador was aware that she's been trespassed from the hotel. The manager said that Amador was flashing people in the hotel the last time she was there. She said that was the third time they’ve had to call the cops on her for being belligerent in their lobby. Another witness saw Amador knock over a display of chips, grab a bag of Lays, and run out of the building without paying.  

READ MORE: Missoula News – Crime Reports 

She Has a Vast Criminal History and Several Open Cases 

Amador was arrested and was transported to the Missoula County Detention Center. The State requested bail in the amount of $20,000. Amador was just released on her own recognizance on September 8, 2025, to Pre-Trial Supervision (PTS). PTS filed an ROV on September 22, 2025, noting multiple instances of new criminal conduct in the last two weeks.  

According to court documents, Amador has now generated 18 calls for service since August. Most of these pertain to trespass, disorderly conduct, assault, and/or other similar offenses. Amador currently has eight open cases in Municipal Court, two open cases in Justice Court, and two open cases in District Court. 

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