Month: April 2019

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Gallatin County Law Enforcement Executives

Click It or Ticket kicks off summer Law Enforcement in Full Force

Gallatin County, May 01, 2019 – The beginning of the summer travel season is upon us with Memorial Day right around the corner. Your Gallatin County law enforcement is partnering with the Montana Highway Patrol and increasing patrols from May 20 to     June 2 as part of the national Click It or Ticket campaign to educate the public on proper seat belt use and crack down on motorists who fail to buckle up.

In Montana, the summer months mark the deadliest time of the year, with 45 percent of all fatal crashes happening between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Almost twice as many fatal crashes take place during the summer than other times of the year. In 2017, of the people who died in vehicle crashes, 58 percent were unrestrained and nearly 65 percent of these people were ejected from the vehicle. Many of these fatalities could have been prevented by wearing a seat belt.

In Gallatin County, Law Enforcement agencies are working together to keep the streets and highways safe for everyone. We believe that “There is no excuse for not wearing a seat belt. Just as we want to go home to our friends and families at the end of the day, we want all Montanans to make it to their destination safely.” As your Law Enforcement leaders, we would like to stress to everyone that, “We respond to too many crashes where serious, life-changing injuries and deaths are shattering families. It can happen to you. Montana has made progress in reducing fatal crashes over the last five years, but we can do better.”

Driving is not an individual activity. You share the road with other motorists and must take precautions for your safety and the safety of your passengers. It is every driver’s responsibility. As you are out enjoying your summer travel, whether across town
or across the state, Click It or Ticket!

This is a Vision Zero message from the Montana Department of Transportation. This and other enforcement and educational campaigns are strategies to reach Vision Zero — zero deaths and zero serious injuries on Montana roadways.                                                                                                                                                                                                           For more information about Vision Zero, contact Janet Kenny, Montana Department of Transportation, (406) 444-7471, or jakenny@mt.gov

Captain Mark Wilfore          Chief Denis Hengel          Chief Frank Parish                     Montana Highway Patrol    Manhattan Police Dept.   MSU Police Dept.

Chief E. J. Clark Jr.                Sheriff Brian Gootkin         Chief Steve Crawford             Belgrade Police Dept.           Gallatin County Sheriff        Bozeman Police Dept.

Chief Scott Newell                         Chief Bill Dove                                                                           West Yellowstone Police Dept.   Bozeman/Yellowstone Public Safety

(Bozeman, Mont.)

On April 25, 2019, at 8:45 pm, the Gallatin County 911 Center received a call about a lost hiker. The caller reported that his 17-year-old son had gone hiking on Sypes Canyon Trail, left the trail and had become lost and stranded in deep snow. The son had water and was well prepared to spend the night if needed. Gallatin County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue responded to the trailhead to search for him. Because the hiker had a cell phone with battery back-up and knew how to use his GPS app, he was able to text his grid coordinates to searchers and Reach Air Medical Services confirmed the location of the hiker. SAR members hiked into the area and assisted the hiker back to the trailhead by 1:30 this morning.

The Gallatin County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue is currently searching for a 73-year-old Butte man. Ronald Lowny’s vehicle was located at the Drouillard Fishing Access site on the Jefferson River near Three Forks, and is believed to have been there since April 10^th. Lowny was not reported as a missing person, as he has no current family in the area. Butte/Silverbow deputies located a friend of Lowny’s, who stated that he had made suicidal statements when they last spoke.

If you have any information on Lowny’s location after April 10, please call Butte/Silverbow Sheriff’s Office at 406-497-6200.

Photo courtesy of the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office.

Yesterday evening an 8-year-old girl was reported missing. She got on her bus at Longfellow school but did not make it home. Her bus driver confirmed that she made it to Bozeman High for her bus exchange but was unsure if she got on the bus for home. After several hours of searching by family and law enforcement, Gallatin County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue was called out to help. About the time the dog teams were ready to start searching, she was found by Bozeman Police officers. She was safe and returned to her family.

Release: 190421-01

Keep the Water Flowing

Bozeman, MT – Many small waterways currently have a large quantity of water flowing through them in Gallatin County. Residents are encouraged to help Keep the Water Flowing by removing obstructions from waterways and drains to help prevent water from backing up. This time of year the amount of water flowing in our small waterways can change quickly and residents near waterways are asked to closely watch the water.

Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs by family members and visitors, including children and teens. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet.

To address this problem, DEA and partner organizations have set up Drug Take Back Days when the public can bring unused, unwanted or expired prescription drugs for safe disposal, no questions asked and at no cost to them. Last October, 3470 pounds of drugs were collected in Montana; a total of 36,411 pounds have been collected over the course of sixteen Drug Take Back Days. All drugs gathered are incinerated by the DEA.

You can get rid of any expired or unused drugs at the Drug Take Back Day, April 27, including pills, capsules, and patches. Bring them to the Law and Justice Center between 10am and noon. This is an opportunity to safely and anonymously empty out your medicine cabinet of drugs that have expired or that you don’t need any more, including over-the-counter drugs and prescription drugs that contain controlled substances.

Collection bins for disposing of expired or unused drugs at other times can be found in the Law and Justice Center lobby, police departments, and the Highland Park Pharmacy.

(Bozeman, Mont.)

Corrected name for the shooting Thursday, 59 year old Cynthia Carol Wills of Bozeman.

The Gallatin County Office of the Sheriff/Coroner identified the victim of the shooting on Thursday, April 4th as 29 yr. old Carissa Perkins of Florida.

(Gallatin County, Mont.) Announcement from the Custer Gallatin National Forest and The Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office.

Sunday, April 7th Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue teams will be training in Hyalite Canyon from 1:00 to 5:00.  There will be vehicles on the roadway and helicopters in use.  For those that are enjoying the early season in the canyon please be aware of rescuers and vehicles on the roadway.  There will be no closures and only slight delays if any on Hyalite Canyon Road.#####