Trooper Assists Tribal Officer With Erratic Driver in Missoula

Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - At approximately 8:37 p.m. on February 26, 2025, a Montana Highway Patrol Trooper received a request from a Tribal Law Enforcement Officer to assist with an incident on McClure Road. The trooper responded and observed that 36-year-old William Johnson appeared to be animated and in a paranoid state. The tribal officer told the trooper that Johnson had been driving on a suspended license and had been speeding and driving all over the road.

According to court documents, Johnson was speaking very fast about many occurrences in the day, including statements that his vehicle had been shot at and damaged. The trooper looked at Johnson’s vehicle and did not note any damage consistent with having been shot.

Johnson stated that he had been in treatment for opiate addiction and had gotten out approximately a year and a half earlier. Johnson appeared to be hyper-focused on passing vehicles when standing in front of the trooper’s patrol vehicle. Then Johnson was transported to the County Detention Center.

During transport, Johnson unstrapped his seatbelt and was moving about the back of the patrol vehicle. Johnson also made paranoid statements and appeared to be having conversations with people in his head.

At the Detention Center, the trooper administered standardized field sobriety tests and advanced roadside impairment detection tests, both of which he is trained in scoring and administering. The trooper noted no standardized clues on the horizontal gaze nystagmus test, no clues on the lack of convergence test, 6/8 clues on the Walk and Turn test, 3/4 clues on the One Legged Stand test, and missed 5/6 touches on the finger to nose test.

The trooper read Johnson the Montana Implied Consent Advisory and Johnson refused to provide a requested blood test. The trooper later obtained a warrant and a blood draw was performed. Toxicology results are pending.

READ MORE: Missoula News – Crime Reports

According to the trooper’s report, Johnson did not provide proof of vehicle insurance during the investigation, and his license was suspended at the time of the stop. Johnson’s license had been suspended in 2008 and again in 2013 due to an implied consent testing refusals. The trooper also learned that Johnson has three prior DUI convictions.

Johnson is currently being charged with felony aggravated DUI, driving with a suspended license, and failure to carry proof of insurance.

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