BOZEMAN — A man from Washington state was arrested after allegedly driving the wrong way on I-90 between Bozeman and Livingston while intoxicated on Friday, Aug. 16, 2024.
Rodney Edmund Wallis, 56 of Seattle, appeared in Gallatin County Justice Court on Monday on 10 counts of criminal endangerment.
Court documents say multiple callers from Gallatin and Park counties reported a wrong-way driver traveling eastbound on I-90 westbound around 11:15 in the morning on Friday.
According to reports, the vehicle turned around and began traveling in the right direction near mile marker 321 west of Livingston.
A Montana Highway Patrol trooper said he located the vehicle, a gold Subaru Forester, near mile marker 307 in Bozeman. The trooper said the vehicle failed to stay within its lane and crossed the white fog line multiple times, consistent with impaired driving.
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The trooper stopped the vehicle at mile marker 304, according to court documents. The trooper said Wallis had a dazed look on his face with red, watery eyes, and he smelled strongly of an alcoholic beverage.
Court documents say multiple open alcoholic beverages were found in Wallis’s vehicle and he was unable to perform standard field sobriety tests. He allegedly told the trooper he was going through “personal things,” admitted he began drinking at noon the previous day, and last had a drink three or four hours before the traffic stop.
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Wallis reportedly said he saw all the vehicles driving toward him and honked his horn before he realized he was going in the wrong direction.
According to court documents, Wallis provided a breath sample that showed his blood alcohol concentration to be .265, more than three times the legal limit of .08.
The trooper said in court documents that 10 reporting parties were identified as victims and added to the incident report.
In court on Monday, Wallis was identified as a teacher at a high school near Seattle. His bail was set at $2,500, and his next court date is scheduled for Sept. 6, 2024.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated Wallis's bail amount as $25,000. The article has ben updated to reflect the correct bail amount of $2,500.
