Gov. Greg Gianforte was in Kalispell Wednesday for a ceremonial signing of the bill “Bobby’s Law,” creating a new category for Drunk Driving: Aggravated DUI.
The bill, carried in the legislature by Rep. Braxton Mitchell, a Republican from Columbia Falls, honors the memory of Bobby Dewbre who was killed by a drunk driver in Columbia Falls in 2023. Rep. Mitchell was incensed that the drunk driver who killed Bobby served only the maximum 18 months in prison.
From now on, if a driver kills someone while registering a blood alcohol content of 0.16 or higher, twice the legal limit, the charge will be aggravated vehicular homicide. That comes with a prison sentence of up to 30 years and as much as a $50,000 fine.
Dewbre’s father, Robert Dewbre, tells Legislators nothing can bring Bobby back but if we can keep severely drunk drivers off the road longer, it’ll save lives.
The bill signing, at the Sheriff’s Posse Headquarters on Shady Lake in Evergreen, included Rep. Mitchell, Bobby’s parents, Sheriff Brian Heino, Columbia Falls Police Chief Chad Stevens, and Kalispell Police Chief Jordan Venezio.
