Montana Man Learns It's Not The Best Idea To Show Up Drunk To Sheriff's Office To Pay Open Container Fine
Montana man finds out having a couple before driving to pay open container fine isn’t the best idea.
You live and you learn. Some ideas that you come up with fall short of your expectations. For whatever reason, they don't work as you planned.
This is one of those examples. An unnamed 25-year-old Montana man had to take care of an open container fine. No big deal.
After a couple of drinks and bowls of marijuana, he decided to grab one for the road and pop into the Granite County Courthouse and Sheriff's Office to take care of business.
Montana man told sheriff he had a couple of drinks before driving to pay an open container fine. (Image Credit: Getty)
The plan started without a hitch. He had made it and was waiting to pay the fine at the Sheriff's Office when it all started to unravel for him.
It turns out it wasn’t the best idea to have those drinks before getting behind the wheel and driving down to the Sheriff's Office to pay the fine.
Not on Sheriff Barkell's watch anyway. When he asked the mn if he needed some help, his training and experience kicked in, and he knew that the 25-year-old was intoxicated.
According to a post on the Granite County Sheriff's Office's Facebook page, "The male was asked to step outside and was then asked if he had driven here in his vehicle. In disbelief, the male replied, 'Yes.'"
He was then given a "proper scolding" and asked how many drinks he had consumed that day. He replied, "in slurred words" that he had had two drinks, which the Sheriff's Office pointed out "usually means two too many."
If You Show Up Drunk To Pay Open Container Fine, There's A Good Chance You’re Getting Arrested
To top it all off, the man also told them he had smoked two bowls of marijuana. During the investigation into the matter, he agreed to a breath test which showed he was three times the legal limit.
In his vehicle, deputies found, you guessed it, another open container. He was charged with aggravated DUI and open container.
The Sheriff's Office passed along a PSA with this one. It reads:
"As a public service announcement, if you drive to the Sheriff’s Office intoxicated (alcohol or drugs), you will be arrested for DUI. If you drive here with a suspended or no license, you will get a ticket. If you enter the Sheriff's Office with a warrant, you will be arrested."
"If you decide to drink excessively or smoke marijuana, DO NOT DRIVE. Call for a ride, the Sheriff’s Office will be happy to help. If you live in one of our county towns, please walk if you are able; in all of our towns, you can walk across in 15-20 mins. Stupidity is not an excuse!"
You're allowed to make mistakes, and you're allowed to be stupid, but don’t try to use being stupid as an excuse. That's not going to fly in Granite County, Montana.