Man That Drove Into a Missoula River Now Faces a Felony

Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - On May 6, 2024, at approximately 11:56 AM, a Missoula Police Department Officer was dispatched to Orange Street for numerous reports of a truck that went over the bridge. The officer arrived on the scene and discovered a Ford F150 truck on the edge of the river embankment with its nose in the water of the Clark Fork River.

The officer also learned that this vehicle had been involved in a crash with another vehicle, had traveled over the sidewalk, over the bridge, and down the embankment to the river. The driver of the vehicle was identified as 32-year-old Justin Stockdale. Another officer arrived on the scene and observed Stockdale exit the vehicle and decline medical attention.

The officer noticed a blue can on the driver’s side floor that appeared to be a “duster,” a form of canned air for cleaning computers. The officer asked Stockdale if he was using the duster before he exited the roadway, which Stockdale confirmed by nodding. The officer asked Stockdale when he had last used the duster and Stockdale stated it was before he came down off the roadway.

According to court documents, Stockdale stated he had been huffing and indicated an officer should arrest him. Stockdale was medically cleared to perform Standardized Field Sobriety Tests but he told medical personnel he had blacked out, which the officer knew from her training and experience to be associated with huffing canned air.

Stockdale consented to a blood draw and those results have been submitted to the Montana State Crime Lab for further analysis. Stockdale has one prior DUI conviction from May 20, 2015. With Stockdale’s consent, an officer seized two duster canisters from Stockdale’s truck and logged them into evidence. An accident report regarding the collision with other vehicles is pending.

Stockdale is currently being charged with felony criminal endangerment, DUI second offense, and careless driving. This case was filed directly to District Court.

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