Police make 39 arrests in Butte area over weekend and St. Patrick's Day

Police and state troopers made 39 arrests in Butte-Silver Bow County from Friday through the St. Patrick’s Day celebration in Butte on Monday, more than half of them for DUIs, Sheriff Ed Lester said Tuesday.

There were 24 DUI arrests alone and even though a few involved accidents, he wasn’t aware of any serious injuries tied to those or other crimes.

Lester said Montana Highway Patrol troopers helped Butte police with foot patrol on Monday and had a “selective enforcement team” on the lookout for drunken drivers from Thursday night through Monday.

Of the 24 DUI arrests, troopers made 18 of them and Butte police made six.

“I am disappointed to see the number of DUI arrests,” Lester said. “I am very appreciative of the Montana Highway Patrol and their assistance in traffic enforcement and also on foot patrol during the celebration.

“They made a lot of stops,” Lester said. “If you’re drinking, you shouldn’t be driving. I’m always amazed at how many people get arrested for DUIs.”

Many of the 15 other arrests Friday through Monday were people involved in disturbances or domestic disputes and a few were arrested for having outstanding warrants, he said.

“There were some disturbances at the bars, a couple of fist fights, but there weren’t a whole bunch of arrests on St. Patrick’s Day itself for fights or anything like that,” he said.

“For the most part the crowd over the weekend was well-behaved given the large numbers of people celebrating throughout the Uptown area,” he said. “As always, there are a few people who make poor decisions after having a few too many beverages.”

Lester said St. Patrick’s Day is always a great celebration in Butte. It taxes first responders and some other county departments, he said, “but it is a fun day overall and we like to see people coming back year after year.”

“Looking at the streets this (Tuesday) morning, you’d never know that there was a huge party going on this time yesterday,” Lester said. “This is a tribute to the cleanup crew from Public Works and Parks and Rec.”