Missoula County Sheriff's Deputy Stops Intoxicated Driver on Night Patrol

On July 24, 2026, at about 1:10 a.m., a Missoula County Sheriff’s Office deputy was patrolling Nine Mile Prairie Road near Highway 200 in Missoula, Montana. The deputy observed a white sedan without a front license plate and, noticing the driver’s dazed expression, bloodshot eyes, and the smell of alcohol, initiated a traffic stop.

The driver, identified as 46‑year‑old Dustin Berthoud, claimed he was heading home from work. He was unable to produce a driver's license and, after agreeing to Standardized Field Sobriety Tests, exhibited 15 of 18 clues indicating impairment. The deputy then requested a preliminary breath test.

The encounter illustrates routine law‑enforcement response to suspected impaired driving on a rural Montana road.