BOZEMAN — A Bozeman man was arrested early Saturday after allegedly attempting to drive over a roundabout near Bozeman High School while under the influence, flipping his truck with four other people inside.
Steven Steinmetz, 28, appeared in Gallatin County Justice Court on Monday where he was charged with felony criminal endangerment.
According to court documents, an officer with the Bozeman Police Department responded around 12:45 a.m. Saturday to a crash report at North 15th Avenue and Beall Street. The officer said a silver Toyota Tundra was on its side when he arrived, and Steinmetz’s lower half was trapped under the vehicle.
An ambulance transported Steinmetz to Bozeman Deaconess Hospital with an Injury to his leg. The other people involved in the crash were outside the truck, according to the reporting officer, and were intoxicated “evidenced by slurred speech, swaying, and odor of alcoholic beverages.”
The officer said he spoke with Steinmetz’s girlfriend, who was in the front passenger seat of the truck at the time of the crash. She reportedly said Steinmetz was driving north on 15th when he told the people in the truck to “hold on” as he attempted to jump the roundabout, saying it would be “cool.”
According to Steinmetz’s girlfriend, the others in the truck told him not to do it before he made the attempt. She also reportedly said Steinmetz "maybe had like four drinks."
Court documents say the officer interviewed Steinmetz at the hospital, and Steinmetz claimed to have had two drinks before the crash. Steinmetz consented to a blood draw to determine his blood alcohol level.
Steinmetz was charged with criminal endangerment due to engaging in “conduct that created a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury to others,” court documents state.
In court Monday, Steinmetz’s bail was set at $1,500, and he is required to wear a SCRAM monitor to detect his alcohol level as his case proceeds.
