Ami Stanley, 31, was sitting in a Montana Highway Patrol car, along with her daughter, after her vehicle crashed with a semi truck near mile 309 on Interstate 90 on Saturday night.
MHP Trooper Michael Walrath says in court papers that he returned to his vehicle, where the Stanley and her daughter were waiting, when he smelled alcohol coming from Stanley. After speaking with witnesses, he returned to the patrol car and again smelled alcohol. Stanley reportedly denied drinking alcohol when questioned by the trooper, and she was taken to the Belgrade Police Department to be investigated for driving under the influence of alcohol.
When they arrived at the Belgrade Police Department, Stanley was taken into a DUI processing room, while her daughter waited with an officer. While Stanley was in the room with the trooper, the officer, who had been waiting with her daughter, entered the room and handed the trooper a small plastic container containing what appeared to be marijuana, court papers state. The officer said the girl gave it to him and said it belonged to her mother. "She keeps it in my pocket all the time so she won't lose it," the girl told police, according to court papers.
Stanley is charged with DUI, criminal possession of dangerous drugs and endangering the welfare of a child. She appeared in Gallatin County Justice Court this morning and pleaded not guilty. She was released on her own recognizance.
