Missoula Man on Probation Steals F-150, Gets Caught With Drugs

On June 21, 2022, at approximately 1:30 p.m., a Missoula Police Department officer responded to a reported vehicle theft in the area of Sherwood. The officer made contact with the caller, John Doe, who advised that his grey Ford F-150, which had been parked on the street the night prior, was gone when he woke up that morning.

Doe further stated that there had also been a dirt bike, with purple plastic and comic book graphics, in the bed of the truck. Doe stated that he typically leaves his truck unlocked and leaves the keys in the center console, which he did on this occasion. Doe also stated that there had been a handgun under the driver's seat of his truck.

On June 22, 2022, an officer responded to a reported sighting of a dirt bike matching the description of Doe’s dirt bike at the trailer court in the 1700 block of Cooley Street. The caller, a resident of the trailer court, indicated that she’d seen a resident of a nearby trailer drive away on a dirt bike matching the stolen dirt bike’s description about 45 minutes ago. The officer waited for the resident to return.

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After returning, the resident spoke with an officer. The resident said the bike had been delivered to his residence in a silver F-150. The resident indicated he’d purchased the bike from his friend named “Soul,” but stated he had not paid for the bike.

There are several open cases and investigations with Missoula Police Department and the Missoula County Sheriff’s Office regarding Saul Dooling ranging from Partner Family Member Assault, Theft, Vehicle Theft, and more. An officer believed Dooling was a possible suspect for the stolen truck and dirt bike. The officer is aware that Dooling is a friend of the resident from prior investigations.

On June 23, 2022, an officer contacted Pre-Trial Supervision, remembering that Dooling was on conditions of release for an ongoing criminal case. The officer spoke with Dooling’s supervising officer who said Dooling was subject to GPS monitoring as part of his conditions of release. After checking Dooling’s GPS information, the supervising officer confirmed that Dooling had been on the 1600 block of Sherwood on June 21, 2022, at approximately 1:00 a.m.

The GPS tracking information also showed that within about 20 minutes of Dooling leaving the Sherwood area, his GPS tracker placed him in the area of Cooley trailer court where the stolen dirt bike was located with the resident.

The GPS data showed a pause in movement around the area where the stolen truck was later recovered by Montana Highway Patrol, at mile marker 18 on Highway 93, in Lake County. The stolen truck was discovered with a flat tire. The firearm was not found when the truck was located.

When Dooling was later arrested and searched incident to arrest, Dooling stated that he had some meth and a “mexi” in his pocket, in some tinfoil. Court documents indicate the meth was located in his left front pocket, and the “mexi,” a blue fentanyl pill marked with “M 30”, was wrapped in tinfoil in his right front pocket.

Dooling is currently being charged with felony theft and his bond was set at $50,000. As of Tuesday afternoon, he remained in the Missoula County Detention Center.

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