Crime Report Includes Wrong-Way Highway Drivers, Heroin and Meth

The Missoula County Attorney’s Office charged 15 new criminal complaints this week, according to Missoula County Attorney Kirsten Pabst. Pabst provided details of this week’s crime report to KGVO News.

Although there were fewer complaints filed this week than last week’s 2020 high of 19 complaints, Pabst says that 15 complaints is one “the higher end” of weekly averages.

“Two of [the complaints filed] were violent crimes, both partner-family member violence. One of those involved several violations of an order of protection, partner-family member violence, and unlawful restraint.”

“We also charged three criminal endangerment crimes. One was a felony DUI—the defendant was found passed out in a running vehicle on Grant Creek Road. There were two criminal endangerment cases, both involving intoxicated defendants driving the wrong way on Highway 93.”

Pabst reports that her office also charged four property crimes this week: two burglaries and two charges of criminal mischief. She says that in one of the burglaries, the defendant allegedly broke into the residence at which their ex-partner was staying. In one of the criminal mischief charges, the defendant threw a bottle at a Mountain Line bus, breaking the window. Pabst says that the bus windows are very expensive to replace.

Pabst also reports the drug cases charged this week.

“We charged three new drug cases. Two were meth, and one was a combination of heroin and meth. We charged possession with intent to distribute because the allegation is that the defendant was in possession of 140 doses of heroin and over 60 doses of methamphetamine.”

Robert Charles Nelson, the defendant in a fatal hit-and-run last week, appeared in court on Friday morning.