Wanted Transient Caught With Drugs at a Missoula Church

Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - At around 8:26 AM on October 31st, 2024, a Missoula Police Department officer was dispatched to remove a person from a church located in the 800 block of South Ave. West. The reporting party said there was a transient male by the back door of the church near the playground in a maroon sleeping bag.  

Officers arrived on scene and the male identified himself as 43-year-old Ryan Wyatt. Dispatch was asked to check Wyatt for warrants and it was determined he had a $10,000 bond probation warrant. Wyatt was searched incident to arrest which yielded nothing of evidentiary value. 

It was 31 degrees and lightly snowing, and Wyatt was wearing multiple thick layers of clothing making it difficult to get into all of his pockets. Wyatt was transported to the jail and staff found a clear baggie with a white crystalline substance in it. Based on the officer's training and experience, he believed this substance was methamphetamine.  

The officer read Wyatt his Miranda warning, to which he stated he understood. The officer asked him what was in the bag and he just kept repeating, “oh f**k, oh f**k”. The officer then asked Wyatt if he injects the meth or if he smokes it. According to court documents, Wyatt stated he doesn't inject and does not have needle marks on his arm.  

READ MORE: Missoula News – Crime Reports 

Then the officer took the suspected meth to the Missoula Police Department for testing. The officer used a NIK test and presumptively identified the drugs as methamphetamine. The drugs will be sent to the Montana Crime Lab for confirmation of the test results.  

Wyatt is currently being charged with felony criminal possession of dangerous drugs. His bond was set at $10,000. 

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