MANHATTAN — Another alleged wrong-way driver was arrested on Saturday, heading eastbound on I-90 in the westbound lanes near Manhattan, becoming at least the fourth such incident within the past three months on a stretch of interstate between Bozeman and Three Forks.
According to charging documents, Manhattan Police received five separate 911 calls reporting a wrong-way driver around 2:30 a.m. on Saturday. Officers were able to track down 34-year-old Amilcar Ajsivinac Queche and pull him over safely at milepost 283.
Court documents say Queche failed sobriety tests and proceeded to blow a .170 in his preliminary breath test, more than twice the legal limit of .08.
Prior to the alleged incident with Queche, a man was arrested on Nov. 24, 2023, accused of endangering 37 other vehicles as he drove the wrong way on I-90 between Bozeman and Belgrade.
Just over a week later, another man was arrested on Sunday, Dec. 3, after allegedly driving westbound in the eastbound lanes of I-90 at the same location.
On Jan. 4, 2024, 22-year-old Laysa Grewell was killed when a wrong-way driver struck her on I-90 head-on near Three Forks. An investigation into that incident is ongoing, according to the Montana Highway Patrol.
Sheriff Dan Springer says Gallatin County is still in the process of ordering more warning signs for the interstate and off-ramps, but it could take another 8 to 10 weeks to get these signs, depending on stock and availability.
On Monday in Gallatin County Justice Court, Queche was arraigned on four counts of criminal endangerment. Court documents allege there were 11 total victims, including three passengers with Queche and eight people driving in the correct direction on the interstate. Of those eight people, two were young children.
Queche remains in custody at the Gallatin County Detention Center.
