The head of the University of Montana’s Curry Health Center remains on the job five months after being found drunk in his parked car at Playfair Park.
Dr. David Bell, 59, provided a breath sample of .131, according to the police report. He was lying in the driver’s seat of the running 1997 red Jeep Cherokee at 11:22 p.m. on Nov. 25, the report said.
He pleaded guilty March 30 to a misdemeanor charge of driving under the influence per se – meaning he admitted to having a blood alcohol content over the legal driving limit of .08, but not to driving while intoxicated.
Missoula Municipal Court Judge Kathleen Jenks sentenced him to 10 days in jail, all suspended for six months, along with fines and court costs of $753. She also ordered him not to drink or go into bars or casinos, and submit to blood, breath or urine tests upon a law enforcement officer’s request.
Bell refused to comment, saying only that “I think at this point, I’m going to leave personnel matters to personnel matters.”
UM legal counsel David Aronofsky likewise refused to comment on any possible sanctions imposed on Bell by the university, also citing the confidentiality of personnel issues.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.