C-Falls man arrested in Great Falls

A 31-year-old Columbia Falls man was arrested Aug. 28 in Great Falls and charged with driving drunk onto a downtown sidewalk and endangering pedestrians.

Cody Jay Wester was charged with felony criminal endangerment, DUI No. 2, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, reckless driving and no insurance No. 2.

According to court documents, witnesses told police they saw Wester drive onto a sidewalk about 1 a.m. and nearly hit several people. When Wester got out of the car and start running, a witness caught up with him and got into a fight with him. Wester's right eye was injured in the fight.

Police say Wester allegedly smelled of alcohol, failed field sobriety tests, refused to provide a breath sample and said people in the neighborhood had attacked the car.

The vehicle Wester was driving was registered to his mother, according to court documents. She later told police Wester didn't have permission to drive her car because he was drunk. She asked to file a complaint against her son.