Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) – At approximately 12:25 a.m. on November 21, 2023, a Montana Highway Patrol trooper observed a motor vehicle running a red stoplight on Ridgeway and US 93.
The vehicle stopped at a gas station and the trooper observed that smoke was pouring out of the driver’s side of the vehicle. The trooper spoke with the driver, 26-year-old Wade Culver, and noticed that his eyes were extremely bloodshot and his pupils were constricted.
Culver admitted that he had been smoking marijuana approximately a half hour before the stop. The trooper administered Standardized Field Sobriety Tests and Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement Tests which showed multiple signs of impairment.
The Trooper Also Located Drugs in the Vehicle
Culver’s probation officer authorized a probation search of the vehicle. During the search, the trooper located fentanyl and drug paraphernalia. Culver consented to a blood draw, which was performed at St. Patrick’s Hospital. According to court documents, toxicology reports are pending as of the time of filing.
READ MORE: Montana Fentanyl Seizures Already Nearly Doubled 2022’s Record
Culver also did not have proof of motor vehicle insurance at the time of the stop. A copy of Culver’s certified driver history shows a conviction for failure to maintain liability insurance in March of 2023.
Culver was placed under arrest and transported to the Missoula County Detention Facility. He is currently being charged with…
