Bizarre, Head-Scratching Cases Keep Local Law Enforcement Busy

It sure has been a busy past few days for Gallatin County authorities as they have responded to calls that may leave many people asking the question, what were these folks thinking?

• May 10: Police pulled over a man who turned east on Mendenhall in downtown Bozeman (in this particular area, Mendenhall is a one-way street heading west). Officers eventually find that the vehicle that the man was driving was stolen. The defendant was arrested on suspicion of theft and obstructing a peace officer.

• May 10: Gallatin County Sheriff's deputies arrest a man for sexual intercourse without consent relating to a 2018 incident. Deputies report that at the time of the incident, the man was 20-years-old and the female was 15-years-old.

• May 11: Gallatin County Sheriff's deputies responded to a domestic assault in progress. A male was eventually arrested for head-butting a woman he was in a relationship with causing a red mark above her eye. The man was booked into the Gallatin Valley Detention Center.

• May 12: At approximately 7:30 p.m., a Gallatin County Sheriff's deputy responded to a report of a vehicle driving in a dangerous manner on I-90. The deputy made contact with the vehicle while it was traveling at 115 miles-per-hour near mile marker 294, the deputy eventually pulled the vehicle over near mile marker 298. After speaking with the driver, the deputy conducted a standardized field sobriety test, which the driver failed. A blood test was then performed and the man was arrested for suspicion of driving while intoxicated.

• May 13: At approximately 1:20 p.m., a Bozeman police officer pulled a driver over for driving dangerously on West Main Street. The driver told the officer that he bought the car for $800, but then later said he traded drugs for the vehicle. The driver was eventually arrested on suspicion of motor vehicle theft.

• May 13: A man called Members of the Gallatin County Sheriff's Office responded to a report of stalking. A man told deputies that he had a restraining order against a neighbor, who is a woman. The man stated that earlier in the day while the woman was mowing her lawn, she was taunting him and throwing rocks in his direction. After reviewing video surveillance in the area, deputies arrested the woman for violating the restraining order.

• May 13: A Belgrade police officer observed a motorcycle laying on the street at the intersection of Missoula and Broadway. After making contact with the driver, the officer suspected the man had consumed alcohol prior to what was clearly an accident involving the motorcycle. After a breath sample of 0.278 was registered, the man was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. It was the 60-year-old's 5th DUI arrest.

The information above is based on reports filed by the Gallatin County Sheriff's Office, Bozeman Police Department and the Belgrade Police Department.