Missoula Arrest: Man Charged After Crash And Escape Attempt

Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - On April 13, 2024, Missoula Police Department officers were dispatched to N. Russell & W. Broadway St. for a reported injury accident. Officers arrived, approached the vehicle, lifted the airbag, and observed a female sitting in the passenger seat.  

The officer then 32-year-old Jacob Lowney standing in the yard of a nearby residence. The officer recognized him from booking photos. An officer interviewed the female and she stated Lowney was driving the vehicle.  

Officers arrested Lowney due to an existing warrant for his arrest. According to court documents, Lowney appeared disoriented, confused and had difficulty with short-term memory recall. He had mood swings and appeared to come in and out of lucidity and awareness of his surroundings. Officers transported Lowney to St. Patrick's Hospital to be medically cleared.  

Lowney is Confrontational at the Hospital 

Lowney refused to perform Standardized Field Sobriety Tests at the hospital. An officer read the PAST Advisory and Lowney refused to provide a breath sample. The officer read Lowney the Implied Consent Advisory and he refused to provide a blood test.  

A search warrant for Lowney’s blood was granted. Lowney stood up from his seated chair and began to walk away from officers and the scene. Lowney said, “What are you gonna do? What are you gonna do?” Lowney was in the officer’s legal custody and was being charged with several arrestable offenses. Lowney got up without permission and attempted to escape, walking away and fleeing from detention. 

The officer gained control of Lowney, guided him safely backward several steps, and moved him into a padded restraint chair. Lowney was then safely strapped into the chair with the guidance of security staff. Lowney spat on the floor of the hospital bay repeatedly. 

During a blood draw, Lowney was extremely confrontational and verbally aggressive with hospital staff. Lowney made comments about being a gentleman; otherwise, he would spit on the female ED Tech. The officer had to put a spit hood on Lowney to protect the ED Tech. Then the officer transported Lowney to the Missoula County Detention Facility. 

Witness Shares ‘Dash Cam’ Video 

While officers were on scene, a witness arrived to speak with them. The witness had a ‘dash cam’ video of the incident. A few seconds into the video, the suspect vehicle can be seen passing the witness at a high rate of speed. The vehicle cuts in front of the witness, forcing him to slam on the brakes to avoid a collision.  

The vehicle can then be seen going towards the shoulder and striking a utility pole. The witness stated he saw the suspect vehicle speeding from behind him at approximately 60 MPH (in a 35 MPH zone). The witness said if the suspect vehicle collided with him, his car would have spun out and been “totaled.” If this occurred, the witness believed everyone in the car would have been “hurt.” 

Missoula News - Crime Reports

Lowney is currently being charged with felony attempted escape, felony criminal endangerment, DUI, driving with a suspended license, failure to give notice of an accident, and failure to use a seatbelt. 

Lowney’s history returned one prior conviction for DUI in 2023, a pending conviction for DUI in 2022, and a failure to appear for DUI in Idaho. 

On April 15, 2024, Lowney made his initial appearance in Missoula Justice Court and his bond was set at $25,000. 

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