On the evening of May 12, and during the early morning hours of May 13 an individual driving a late 1990’s to early 2000’s model two-tone Dodge quad cab pick-up truck with running boards drove through the areas of Amsterdam School and Manhattan Bank. The truck is suspected in causing damage to the landscaping and the parking lots. This has been an ongoing problem.
If you have information please call the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office at (406) 582-2100.
Recently our Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office and the Bozeman Police Department received numerous calls in reference to a scam where someone calls a senior citizen and tells them “your grandson is in jail and needs money”. The Sheriff’s Office took a report from an 80 yr old woman who sent $8,000.00 to the Dominican Republic for her grandson, who she believed was in jail.
If someone calls your residence and advises that a family member is in jail somewhere other than Gallatin County, please contact our Dispatch Center at 582-2000 Extension 2. Do not provide any financial information until law enforcement can help you confirm the information they are providing you.
If you have elderly parents, family members, or friends, we encourage you to contact them with this information.
If you (Media) have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
Sheriff Brian M. Gootkin
MEDIA RELEASE
Manhattan Police Chief Dennis Hengel stated tonight at 11:30 p.m.that Police received a call from a local citizen who indicated that she and her brother and her little sister were “messing around” when her brother grabbed her sister and put her in the car. The information gathered during the investigation confirmed that these events were not criminal in nature.
The Manhattan police department and all law enforcement agencies appreciate the quick reporting of an event that appeared to be a crime. We would like to thank those individuals who took the time to report what they thought was a legitimate criminal incident.
During the response, a wide area search was conducted by 8 agencies. Chief Hengel stated, “We take these things very seriously and responded accordingly.”
At approximately 7:30 this evening a witness in Manhattan reported what they believed to be an abduction of a teenage female.
According to the witness, a male in a green sedan tackled the female following what aoppeared to be an argument and put her in the vehicle.
The 8 agencies, with more than 40 law officers conducted an extensive sweep of northern and western portions of Gallatin County, Broadwater and Jefferson Counties as well as issued a state-wide alert.
“Thankfully this was just a misunderstanding, but it shows that local law enforcement is prepared to respond quickly and appropriately to these types of calls,” said Chief Hengel. “We appreciate the great cooperation of all the agencies involved.”
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(Bozeman, MT.) On the afternoon of Sunday, May 06, 2012, at about 5:00 p.m., Sheriff’s Search and Rescue personnel, two Sheriff’s Deputy SAR Coordinators, and two troopers with the Montana Highway Patrol responded for the report of a lost 6 year old child in the area of the “M”. A mother and her two small children were on an afternoon hike up the steep trail to the “M”. The mother lost sight of her son, and he would not answer her shouts. After a short time, she called 9-1-1 to report her son as lost.
As chance would have it, the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Posse was conducting training at the Emergency Operations Center, located at the fairgrounds. Numerous searchers responded to the call, and were at the “M” trailhead in moments.
Another hiker on the trail came upon the boy, and was able to reunite him with his mother before any SAR personnel headed up the trail. One of the troopers, who was very close when the call came out, had started up the trail, and confirmed that the child had been located and was safely back with his mother.
Sheriff Gootkin stated, “We have excellent rescue personnel and Deputies to handle things that go wrong. In this case the mother calling 911 early, the quick response of the Deputies and Troopers and having the searchers close at hand all made for a happy ending.” ####
On May 3, 2012 the Gallatin County Sheriff/Coroner’s Office responded to a one vehicle rollover accident that occurred at 19th and Goldenstien. The driver of the vehicle, identified as Jerry Rickman, 62 years of age, was transported to the Bozeman Deaconess Hospital. Mr. Rickman died as a result of the injuries he sustained during the rollover.
(Bozeman) More than two dozen Gallatin County Search and Rescue personnel responded to the report of a skier caught in an avalanche Sunday afternoon in the Saddle Peak area, south of Bridger Bowl.
According to Sheriff’s Incident Commander Deputy Mark Hernandez a 35-year old male from Bozeman, skiing the back country triggered an avalanche that pulled him 50-feet down-slope before he managed to get himself out. That avalanche triggered a far larger, secondary avalanche that slid 1,000 feet down the mountain-side.
Two other skiers in the area saw the second slide, spotted a set of ski tracks that abruptly ended at the beginning of the first slide and called 9-1-1.
Rescue Heli-skiers, snowmobilers and search dogs staged the main parking lot of Bridger Bowl to begin a search when they found out the skier was okay.
GCSO officials also learned that another late season, backcountry skier, was caught in a slide in the Fairy Lake area Saturday. The skier was not seriously injured.
Deputy Hernandez says, “The Bridger Mountain range received 43 inches of snow in the past 24 hours. While that might be tempting for skiers, the snow is heavy, wet and unstable. A very bad combination. Today we were lucky, nobody was hurt or worse. Late season skiers need to keep those conditions in mind.”
Sheriff Gootkin reminds back-country enthusiasts that they should never travel alone and that having an avalanche beacon with them is vital. It’s also important to let folks know where you intend to ski and when you expect to be back.
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The Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office will hold a press conference to introduce the new 24/7 Sobriety Program on Monday, April 30, 2012. This program allows Judges to order individuals charged with 2nd or subsequent DUIs to the Jail twice a day. The purpose of the program is to have defendants report to the jail in the morning before work, and evening after work to submit a sobriety breath test.
Sheriff Gootkin will be accompanied by local Police Chiefs, Lewis and Clark County Sheriff Leo Dutton, Montana Highway Patrol Colonel Mike Tooley, and Commissioner Steve White. We will explain the program to the public and answer any questions. The conference will be held in the Jail community room at 9:00 AM. We look forward to seeing you there.
On April 22, 2012, at approximately 2:40 am, a female caller reported that she and her boyfriend had been involved in a single-vehicle accident at milepost 9 on Bridger Canyon Road. Responding deputies, the Montana Highway Patrol and AMR found that 20-year-old Jared Lawley of Bozeman had been ejected from the vehicle and had died prior to their arrival. The female was transported to BDH for injuries sustained in the accident. The accident is under investigation by the Montana Highway Patrol.
GALLATIN COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
PATROL VEHICLE DESIGN
CONTEST
Sheriff Brian Gootkin is hosting a contest to design the future look of the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office patrol vehicles. This contest is open to all Gallatin County school aged children from Kindergarten to 12th grade.
The Sheriff’s Office is dedicated to serving our community and appreciates input from those we serve. It is this core belief that generated the idea that our children have input into the design and the look of the patrol vehicles that serve you.
You can log onto our website at www.gallatin.mt.gov/sheriff to download a picture of the Ford Police Interceptor to use as your base model for your design. This vehicle is the new police vehicle offered by Ford, that Gallatin County has purchased.
If your school has an interest, please contact School Resource Officer, Paul Griffin at paul.griffin@gallatin.mt.gov / 582-2117. We will assign a Deputy to assist the school with the following criteria and process:
The winning school will be proudly displayed on our new vehicles. All entries must be submitted to the “Patrol Vehicle Design Contest” Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office, 615 South 16th Avenue, Bozeman, MT 59715 by May 12th, 2012.
The winning design entry will be selected by members of the Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff Gootkin will hold a press conference to announce and introduce the winning students.
(Gallatin County,Mont) OnSunday April 14, 2012, at6:01 pm, a snowmobile rental company inWest Yellowstonereported that they rented a snowmobile to a man that was due back at5:00 pmbut had not returned. The caller said that he was riding alone and believed to be in the Two Top area.
Personnel from theWest Yellowstonedivision of Sheriff’s Search and Rescue, the U.S. Forest Service and the West Yellowstone Police Department conducted the search.
Sheriff’s Office Search managers were concerned because the rider was unfamiliar with the area, did not have any survival gear, and the temperatures were going to dip to 20 degrees. There was a lot of area to cover and not much daylight left.
A search team on snowmobiles was quickly deployed along with a helicopter from Summit Air Ambulance based inBozeman.
At 8:16 pm, the overdue snowmobiler was located by personnel in the helicopter. The search team on the ground had found the snowmobiler’s footprints and was following the tracks when the helicopter team found him. The team transported the man to the highway where he was picked up another team from Gallatin County Search and Rescue.
The 30 year old male had recently moved to Chicago, Illinois, from the Ukraine. He got into trouble when he left the snowmobile trail and went down a steep incline that he could not get back up. He rode in the trees trying to find a way out but repeatedly got stuck. He eventually abandoned his snowmobile and struck out on foot. He walked approximately eight miles before searchers found him. He was not injured and very appreciative of the search efforts.
Sheriff Gootkin reminds backcountry users to not travel alone, have a form of communication, and be prepared for emergencies. #####
