Fourth DUI lands man in treatment

A Kalispell man is being sent to treatment as part of his sentence after being convicted of his fourth offense of driving under the influence.

Ronald Foster, 52, was stopped by a Montana Highway Patrol trooper on April 3 after the trooper witnessed him crossing the center lane.

He initially began following Foster after receiving a report that Foster had been driving in the wrong lane of U.S. 2 just north of Evergreen.

Foster had a hard time finding his documentation once stopped and admitted he had been drinking, and the trooper reported seeing marijuana on the front seat of the car. Foster then failed a field sobriety test and a breath-alcohol test.

During the Oct. 24 sentencing hearing, District Judge David Ortley ordered Foster to be placed in a Montana Department of Corrections treatment program for 13 months to be followed by three years of probation. He also ordered Foster to pay a $500 fine and an $800 public defender fee.