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Democratic State Sen. Ellie Boldman of Missoula pleaded guilty to a driving under the influence charge after sleeping in her car while intoxicated on Saturday night.
Boldman, an attorney and seven-term legislator, appeared in Helena Municipal Court on Monday and entered a guilty plea for a misdemeanor DUI offense. The DUI charge was first reported by Montana Public Radio.
In a statement, Boldman called the incident the “biggest mistake of my life,” and apologized for her actions.
According to a police report, Boldman was sleeping in a vehicle “obstructing the roadway,” parked near Park Avenue and Placer Avenue. A blood alcohol test showed a blood alcohol content of .149 — higher than the legal limit to operate a noncommercial vehicle of .08.
Boldman had attended the Democratic Party’s Mansfield Metcalf dinner at the Lewis and Clark County fairgrounds on Saturday night and then went out with friends where she “had too much to drink,” according to her statement.
She said she called for an Uber and waited for it to arrive in her car. She turned the car on to keep warm and fell asleep until a police officer knocked on her window, and asked if she had been drinking.
“I immediately admitted I had but explained I had no intention to drive,” she said in her statement. “While I had no intention to drive, I am a licensed attorney and I know the law is clear that despite not driving, I was in actual physical control of my vehicle because the car was running and I was intoxicated. I know that DUIs are serious offenses, and I do not intend to make any excuses for my actions.”
Boldman was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine with $300 suspended and sentenced to 180 days in jail, all suspended. Under the conditions of her suspension, Boldman is prohibited from entering bars or casinos for six months and will undergo a chemical dependency evaluation.
“The case is over. I am committed to getting back to the work of the session, completing the necessary penalties, and I will make sure that anything like this will never happen again,” Boldman said. “I take full responsibility for what happened, and I appreciate the respectfulness of law enforcement through the entire incident.”
Senate Democratic Leadership released the following statement about the incident: “We are disappointed in her lack of judgment that evening. However, we are happy that she has taken responsibility for her actions both publicly and before the court.”
Earlier this legislative session, lawmakers introduced a bill that would have provided a new definition of “actual physical control” of a vehicle in DUI laws. Senate Bill 196 would have excluded instances when an individual is seated in any seat other than the driver’s seat when the engine is running but the vehicle not in a propulsion gear. The bill was tabled in the Senate Judiciary Committee, of which Boldman is not a member.