Missoula Driver Arrested for DUI After Crash on a Busy Street

Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - At approximately 6:16 p.m. on June 5, 2025, a Missoula Police Department Officer responded to a non-injury crash at Clark St. and McDonald Ave. An accident investigator believed that one of the two drivers was possibly under the influence.  

When the officer arrived on scene, the accident investigator told him that the driver, 46-year-old Cole Reich, had attempted to turn onto McDonald Ave. and failed to yield to another vehicle. This caused Reich to crash into the driver’s side of John Doe’s vehicle as he was driving on McDonald Ave.  

The accident investigator said that while speaking to Reich, Reich stated he was just leaving the Paradise Falls restaurant and had one beer while he was there. The accident investigator also said that Reich’s speech was indicative of intoxication.  

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The officer approached Reich and asked him to step to the front of his patrol car. The officer spoke with Reich and explained the reason for the contact. Reich stated he had two beers and was attempting to leave the parking lot when he did not see the other vehicle. During this conversation, the officer heard Reich’s speech and observed it to be slurred.

The officer formally asked Reich if he was willing to conduct Standardized Field Sobriety Tests (SFSTs), and Reich agreed. The officer observed four of six standardized clues on the horizontal gaze nystagmus test, five of eight on the walk and turn test, and two of four on the one-legged stand test. 

Following the SFSTs, the officer read Reich the Preliminary Alcohol Screening Test Advisory in its entirety and asked if he would take a preliminary breath test. Reich provided a sample indicating a BAC greater than 0.08. 

READ MORE: Missoula News – Crime Reports 

The officer placed Reich into the patrol car and read the Montana Implied Consent Advisory. The officer requested a blood test, and Reich consented. A blood draw was performed at St. Patrick’s Hospital, and toxicology results are pending. Then he was transported to the Missoula County Detention Center. 

According to Reich’s criminal history, he has prior DUI convictions in Montana in 2001, 2007, and 2016. He is currently being charged with felony DUI and failure to yield when entering a highway from a private road or drive. 

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