BOZEMAN — A man from Washington state, 56-year-old Rodney Wallis, was arrested on Friday for allegedly driving the wrong way along Interstate 90 near Bozeman Pass while intoxicated.
“Our guys have done a great job of communicating with other agencies in the area directly on the radio to make sure that other agencies are aware that it’s coming to their area,” says Nathan Kamerman, Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office Investigation Captain.
The Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office says the wrong-way driving signs are working at the intersections where they were placed between Bozeman and Three Forks.
“Since April, we have no confirmed new wrong-way drivers from the on-ramps on which the signs have been deployed,” says Kamerman.
They say the effectiveness of the signs is a reason for them to expand them to other intersections.
“The opinion of the Sheriff’s Office that anywhere we can get those signs, anyone that might be able to see that and prevent going the wrong way in the traffic,” says Kamerman.
According to court documents, Wallis’s breath sample was .265, which is more than three times the legal limit of .08. Wallis eventually corrected himself and began driving in the right direction near the Park and Gallatin county border before he was stopped and arrested.
The Sheriff’s Office reminds motorists to get out of the way and call 911 if they see a wrong-way driver.