Reckless driving incident on US 93: Montana Troopers close call

Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) – On May 2, 2024, a complainant called 911 after witnessing a near miss at the intersection of US 93 and Blue Mountain Road. She said a red or maroon car ran full speed through the red light on the left, narrowly missing a silver sedan. She reported that the silver car had to slam on the brakes to avoid the collision. The maroon car continued south without lights.

Near the 87.4 mile marker, a Montana Highway Patrol trooper saw a car without headlights heading straight toward him. The trooper said the car was traveling south in the northbound lane and he swerved to avoid a head-on collision. The police officer honked and turned on the overhead lights as the car passed him. The driver stared at the police officer with a blank expression on his face as he passed.

The officer caught up with the suspect vehicle as it drove past Glacier Drive. The car did not appear to be trying to avoid the peace officers. Rather, it did not respond at all to their lights and sirens. The police officer switched between different siren sounds and alternately used his air horn to get the driver’s attention.

The suspect finally comes to a stop

The suspect vehicle was traveling at or below the speed limit without its lights on. The vehicle eventually turned left onto Lolo View Drive, pulled into the driveway and came to a stop in front of the garage.

The officer exited his vehicle and ordered the driver to stay where he was. He approached the vehicle and saw that the sole occupant was a man later identified as 29-year-old Lincoln Rogers.

According to court documents, the officer could smell the overwhelming odor of vomit and alcoholic beverages emanating from Rogers’ body. He noticed drool coming from Rogers’ bottom lip. The front of his pants and shirt were wet with vomit.

A sergeant asked Rogers to get out of the car and walk back to the officer’s cruiser. When asked for his driver’s license, Rogers fumbled with his wallet and showed a lack of dexterity in his fingers as he produced his driver’s license.

READ MORE: Missoula News – Crime Reports

The suspect admits to consuming alcohol

When asked how much alcohol he had consumed, Rogers replied, “I promise it’s not that much.” His words were slow and slurred, he swayed as he spoke, and the smell of the alcoholic beverage he had consumed hung heavily on his breath. The officer read the PAST advice to Rogers and asked him to perform a PBT, but Rogers refused.

Rogers was arrested and taken to the Missoula County Detention Center. He is currently charged with two counts of felony endangerment: driving under the influence (DUI), failure to yield to a police vehicle, failure to obey red traffic signals and failure to wear a seatbelt.

On May 3, 2024, Rogers made his first appearance in Missoula Justice Court and his bond was set at $20,000.

The information in this article comes from publicly available sources.