Ronan man charged with 9th DUI

A Ronan man with eight prior DUIs is facing charges of a ninth.

Michael A. Buck, 56, entered a plea of not guilty in District Court in Polson Sept. 18 to a felony charge of DUI, 4th or subsequent.

According to court records, on Feb. 22 law enforcement officers observed Buck driving a white van in the Pablo area. His passenger was known by the officers to have a warrant out for their arrest, giving them probable cause to stop the van. 

However, when the officers approached the van, Buck and his passenger allegedly swapped seats. Initially, Buck denied switching seats with his passenger and after failing a number of field sobriety tests, he was detained, documents state. 

After Buck was brought to jail, his alcohol content was checked again by using an Intoxilyzer 9000, a sophisticated tool that measures a person’s alcohol content by “utilizing four infrared wavelengths for sample analysis” according to the Intoxilyzer’s website. 

Buck’s blood alcohol content was .120, according to the Intoxilyzer 9000. Records show Buck with eight prior convictions for DUI, most recently in 2019. He was still on probation stemming from that conviction.

Lake County Attorney James Lapokta objected to an own recognizance release, saying Buck has a history of absconding probation and reverts right back to drinking and driving again. 

Judge Molly Owen agreed and set the case for trial March 3. Buck remains in the Lake County Jail with bail totaling $125,000.