Records detail discipline against officer who tased Missoula woman

The bodycam footage of the stop, which is from Aug. 29, 2025 and began circulating on TikTok recently, shows Officer Lucas Bighouse pulling over a woman, later identified as Taylor Fontaine, for unclear reasons.

When Bighouse demands she exit the car, Fontaine asks if she can call her mother and requests another officer be present for the arrest. Bighouse refuses both requests and, when she continues to verbally object to the arrest, pulls out his Taser and shoots, causing her to scream in pain, then drags her out of the car and handcuffs her lying facedown.

According to MPD Patrol Capt. Mike Kamerer, all uses of force by officers are reviewed.

Through a public records request, the Missoulian obtained a notice of disciplinary action written to Bighouse by MPD Chief Mike Colyer. On Sept. 12, 2025, Colyer ordered an internal investigation of the arrest. The investigation found that Bighouse had violated MPD policy on use of force and taser devices.

Colyer, assistant chief Jake Rosling and Bighouse then had a due process hearing, the letter states. Colyer wrote that Bighouse provided a statement where he expressed remorse and said he should have waited for the other officer, and that he intended to take the incident as a learning opportunity.

"I am grateful for and impressed by your willingness to accept responsibility and your desire to seek out feedback to improve your performance," Colyer wrote to Bighouse. "However, out of policy use of force is a significant error as it impacts the trusting relationship the Missoula Police Department needs with our community."

Colyer gave Bighouse a written reprimand along with a 20-hour unpaid suspension. he was assigned to serve 10 hours of the suspension on Dec. 15, 2026, with 10 hours deducted from his vacation bank in lieu of the remaining suspension.

The disciplinary letter was put into Bighouse's personnel file and the findings were disclosed to the Montana Peace Officer Standards and Training Council, Colyer continued. 

In addition, the disciplinary findings are subject to Brady-Giglio disclosure, meaning prosecutors may have to provide that information to defendants in cases where Bighouse will testify or provide evidence. 

The Missoula Police Department sent out a news release on July 10 stating Bighouse had been disciplined before the video started circulating, and that the woman was driving on a suspended license, which is considered a misdemeanor in Montana. The woman was charged, but the charges were dismissed by prosecution on Sept. 18, 2025, according to court records. 

Fontaine appeared at a June 27 Missoula City Council meeting and, during public comment, asked why Bighouse still has his job. 

According to documents obtained by the Missoulian, Bighouse has had two use-of-force complaints filed against him by members of the public over his career at MPD. In both cases, the investigation exonerated Bighouse, finding his use of force justified.