Affidavit: Driver rolled vehicle while drunk, spilling hard seltzer

A 33-year-old Bozeman resident with prior DUI convictions was arrested near Manhattan on suspicion of rolling his vehicle while drunk.

The arrestee, Troy Douglas Esposito, was jailed following an investigation that began when a state trooper responded to a report of a wrong-way driver who crashed on an eastbound off-ramp near mile marker 289 of Interstate 90.

Esposito rolled the vehicle, a gray 2024 Subaru Forester, and then continued to drive into Manhattan, according to an affidavit the state trooper filed in county justice court. He reportedly was stopped at Hamilton Court and Wooden Shoe Lane in Manhattan by Manhattan police and sheriff’s deputies. The trooper arrived on scene to conduct an investigation.

“I noticed at least 2 Truly hard seltzer cans open in the drivers area with one being wedged between the drivers seat and center console,” reads the affidavit. “Another was on the floor and had spilled in the crash. An open case of 24 pack Truly 8% hard seltzer with multiple unopened cans [was] scattered throughout the vehicle.”

The trooper alleged Esposito exhibited signs of alcohol intoxication such as slurred speech; bloodshot, watery eyes; difficulty walking and maintaining balance; and emitting the smell of metabolized alcohol, according to the affidavit.

“When asked when he last had something to drink, he stated he had a few hours ago,” reads the affidavit.

Esposito, who has two DUI convictions, failed a sobriety test and was arrested. The trooper advised Esposito face misdemeanor charges of DUI third; unlawful possession of an open alcoholic beverage container in a vehicle on a highway; and leaving the scene of a crash, without permission, that caused more than $1,000 in property damage. The affidavit doesn’t state what damage was caused.