Gallatin Media Center

 

CORRECTION: The below press release had the incorrect title for Kyla Murray.  Her title is Belgrade City Prosecutor, not Belgrade City Attorney.  The below version of the release has been corrected.  We apologize for the error.

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For immediate release: March 22, 2023

Press Availability: Gallatin County Attorney Audrey Cromwell and the Joint Task Force will be available to take questions from reporters today, Wednesday, March 22, at 11 AM at the County Attorney’s Office on the second floor of the Guenther Memorial Building at 1709 W College, Suite 2 in Bozeman.

 

Gallatin County Attorney Discovers Boxes of Unprosecuted Violent Sexual Crime Files in a Closet; Creates Joint Task Force to Address Criminal Justice Crisis

The Gallatin County Attorney’s Office is responsible for reviewing investigations submitted by law enforcement agencies, which are called “Request for Prosecutions” or RFPs.  When an RFP is submitted to the County Attorney’s Office by law enforcement, a prosecutor is supposed to promptly review the RFP, determine whether further investigation is required, and then make a decision about whether to prosecute the case or decline to prosecute the case based on the law and the investigation’s evidence. That is how the prosecution process is supposed to work.

“When I took office in January of this year, one of the first things I did was take stock of the physical office space. In an empty office stuffed under a desk and in a closet, I found boxes filled with unreviewed and unprosecuted RFPs from law enforcement for sexually violent crimes committed between 2008 and 2022. Once I realized what they were, it made me sick to my stomach,” Cromwell said.

The unreviewed RFPs totaled 113 cases: including 53 violent rape cases, 20 sexual assault cases, 14 domestic violence cases, 8 incest cases, and 7 sexual abuse against children cases, among others. One hundred of the victims identify as female. Fifty-two of the cases include some form of sexual violence against children.

“Clearly these cases were deprioritized by the former administration. No action had been taken on any of these cases, with the longest case sitting for the past 14 years,” Cromwell said.

“When I look at a case file, I don’t see pieces of paper; I see a victim whose life is forever altered because of the violence they suffered. I also see an offender who has not been held accountable for his or her actions. Justice has not been served and there has been no closure for victims. This is unacceptable,” Cromwell said.

Of the 113 cases, 42% stem from investigations by the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office, 37% from the Bozeman Police Department, and 22% from the Belgrade Police Department.

“I want to be clear that law enforcement did everything properly. The failure has been at the County Attorney’s Office, and that stops now. Our community is in good hands with our law enforcement agencies and it should likewise be in the good hands of our county-level prosecutors,” Cromwell said. “I campaigned on a promise to address crimes involving sexual violence and I will.”

Cromwell has worked to create a multi-agency Joint Task Force consisting of experienced attorneys, law enforcement officers, and criminal justice professionals to review each case and pursue those that are still viable for prosecution. The Joint Task Force includes:

• Audrey Cromwell, Gallatin County Attorney
• Jane Mersen, attorney at Kasting, Kaufman, and Mersen, and town attorney for West Yellowstone and Manhattan
• Mike Emens, detective with the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office
• April Waltee, victim advocate with Gallatin County Victim Services
• Prosecutors from the Cities of Bozeman and Belgrade

In addition, by working with the Bozeman Greg Sullivan and Belgrade City Prosecutor Kyla Murray, their teams have volunteered to review RFPs from their respective municipal law enforcement agencies and work with the County Attorney’s Office to prosecute them.

“I am proud of my community – that this Joint Task Force with personnel from Gallatin County, the City of Bozeman, and City of Belgrade are all willing to come together in service to our community to review and prosecute these cases and ensure that this never happens again,” Cromwell said.

Many County Attorney’s Offices have written policies or guidelines when reviewing sexually violent cases for prosecution. The Gallatin County Attorney’s Office has never had such a policy. This is something Cromwell would like to remedy. She has disclosed this issue to other prosecutorial agencies in an effort to create best practices and policies in charging, prosecuting, and taking sex cases to trial.

One policy Cromwell will immediately ensure is the prompt review of law enforcement requests for prosecution of sexually violent crime.

“I promise you this – as long as I am County Attorney, I will prioritize prosecution of sexual violence and ensure victims are not forgotten in boxes under a desk or in a closet. My deputies will review all new rape and sexual abuse cases as fast as possible upon receipt by law enforcement from here on forward,” Cromwell said.

Ultimately, Cromwell would like her deputies to review all new cases within two weeks of submission by law enforcement.

“We are currently severely understaffed, so right now we cannot review every submission within two weeks. However, as long as the County Commission funds additional attorney positions, we should be able to reach this goal by the end of my second year in office, if not sooner. I can assure you, though, never again will an RFP involving sex crimes sit in a box for 14 years,” Cromwell said.

“I am heartbroken for the victims of these violent crimes whose trauma was not acknowledged. To the victims in our community, I know you have been further traumatized by the failure of the criminal justice system in our county,” Cromwell said. “You have my word that this will never happen again as long as I am county attorney.”

The Sexual Assault Counseling Center is available 24-hours a day, 365 days a year. If you or someone you care about has experienced sexual assault as an adult or when they were younger, they can receive a wide range of free advocacies and sexual trauma-focused counseling services. We provide support and information while exploring all healing options. The Gallatin Child Advocacy Center is available for those who are under the age of 18 and their families. Both Centers are confidential resources for any person, as well as their families and concerned others, who has been affect by sexual violence.  Please call 406-586-3333 and ask to speak with a counselor-advocate. 

If you or someone you know has experienced sexual or domestic violence, there are numerous local resources to support you here in our community:

Help Center Sexual Assault Counseling Center 24-hour hotline – 406-586-3333

Gallatin County Victim Services – 406-582-2075

Haven’s 24-hour support line – 406-586-4111

Montana State University VOICE Center – 406-994-7069

National Domestic Violence Hotline – 1-800-799-7233

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For immediate release: March 22, 2023

Press Availability: Gallatin County Attorney Audrey Cromwell and the Joint Task Force will be available to take questions from reporters today, Wednesday, March 22, at 11 AM at the County Attorney’s Office on the second floor of the Guenther Memorial Building at 1709 W College, Suite 2 in Bozeman.

 

Gallatin County Attorney Discovers Boxes of Unprosecuted Violent Sexual Crime Files in a Closet; Creates Joint Task Force to Address Criminal Justice Crisis

The Gallatin County Attorney’s Office is responsible for reviewing investigations submitted by law enforcement agencies, which are called “Request for Prosecutions” or RFPs.  When an RFP is submitted to the County Attorney’s Office by law enforcement, a prosecutor is supposed to promptly review the RFP, determine whether further investigation is required, and then make a decision about whether to prosecute the case or decline to prosecute the case based on the law and the investigation’s evidence. That is how the prosecution process is supposed to work.

“When I took office in January of this year, one of the first things I did was take stock of the physical office space. In an empty office stuffed under a desk and in a closet, I found boxes filled with unreviewed and unprosecuted RFPs from law enforcement for sexually violent crimes committed between 2008 and 2022. Once I realized what they were, it made me sick to my stomach,” Cromwell said.

The unreviewed RFPs totaled 113 cases: including 53 violent rape cases, 20 sexual assault cases, 14 domestic violence cases, 8 incest cases, and 7 sexual abuse against children cases, among others. One hundred of the victims identify as female. Fifty-two of the cases include some form of sexual violence against children.

“Clearly these cases were deprioritized by the former administration. No action had been taken on any of these cases, with the longest case sitting for the past 14 years,” Cromwell said.

“When I look at a case file, I don’t see pieces of paper; I see a victim whose life is forever altered because of the violence they suffered. I also see an offender who has not been held accountable for his or her actions. Justice has not been served and there has been no closure for victims. This is unacceptable,” Cromwell said.

Of the 113 cases, 42% stem from investigations by the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office, 37% from the Bozeman Police Department, and 22% from the Belgrade Police Department.

“I want to be clear that law enforcement did everything properly. The failure has been at the County Attorney’s Office, and that stops now. Our community is in good hands with our law enforcement agencies and it should likewise be in the good hands of our county-level prosecutors,” Cromwell said. “I campaigned on a promise to address crimes involving sexual violence and I will.”

Cromwell has worked to create a multi-agency Joint Task Force consisting of experienced attorneys, law enforcement officers, and criminal justice professionals to review each case and pursue those that are still viable for prosecution. The Joint Task Force includes:

• Audrey Cromwell, Gallatin County Attorney
• Jane Mersen, attorney at Kasting, Kaufman, and Mersen, and town attorney for West Yellowstone and Manhattan
• Mike Emens, detective with the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office
• April Waltee, victim advocate with Gallatin County Victim Services
• Prosecutors from the Cities of Bozeman and Belgrade

In addition, by working with the Bozeman Greg Sullivan and Belgrade City Prosecutor Kyla Murray, their teams have volunteered to review RFPs from their respective municipal law enforcement agencies and work with the County Attorney’s Office to prosecute them.

“I am proud of my community – that this Joint Task Force with personnel from Gallatin County, the City of Bozeman, and City of Belgrade are all willing to come together in service to our community to review and prosecute these cases and ensure that this never happens again,” Cromwell said.

Many County Attorney’s Offices have written policies or guidelines when reviewing sexually violent cases for prosecution. The Gallatin County Attorney’s Office has never had such a policy. This is something Cromwell would like to remedy. She has disclosed this issue to other prosecutorial agencies in an effort to create best practices and policies in charging, prosecuting, and taking sex cases to trial.

One policy Cromwell will immediately ensure is the prompt review of law enforcement requests for prosecution of sexually violent crime.

“I promise you this – as long as I am County Attorney, I will prioritize prosecution of sexual violence and ensure victims are not forgotten in boxes under a desk or in a closet. My deputies will review all new rape and sexual abuse cases as fast as possible upon receipt by law enforcement from here on forward,” Cromwell said.

Ultimately, Cromwell would like her deputies to review all new cases within two weeks of submission by law enforcement.

“We are currently severely understaffed, so right now we cannot review every submission within two weeks. However, as long as the County Commission funds additional attorney positions, we should be able to reach this goal by the end of my second year in office, if not sooner. I can assure you, though, never again will an RFP involving sex crimes sit in a box for 14 years,” Cromwell said.

“I am heartbroken for the victims of these violent crimes whose trauma was not acknowledged. To the victims in our community, I know you have been further traumatized by the failure of the criminal justice system in our county,” Cromwell said. “You have my word that this will never happen again as long as I am county attorney.”

The Sexual Assault Counseling Center is available 24-hours a day, 365 days a year. If you or someone you care about has experienced sexual assault as an adult or when they were younger, they can receive a wide range of free advocacies and sexual trauma-focused counseling services. We provide support and information while exploring all healing options. The Gallatin Child Advocacy Center is available for those who are under the age of 18 and their families. Both Centers are confidential resources for any person, as well as their families and concerned others, who has been affect by sexual violence.  Please call 406-586-3333 and ask to speak with a counselor-advocate. 

If you or someone you know has experienced sexual or domestic violence, there are numerous local resources to support you here in our community:

Help Center Sexual Assault Counseling Center 24-hour hotline – 406-586-3333

Gallatin County Victim Services – 406-582-2075

Haven’s 24-hour support line – 406-586-4111

Montana State University VOICE Center – 406-994-7069

National Domestic Violence Hotline – 1-800-799-7233

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For immediate release: March 20, 2023

Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer and Erin Clements, Director of our Youth and Family Outreach Program, will hold a press conference Tuesday, March 21, at 2 PM at the Gallatin County Detention Center community room (605 S. 16th Ave. in Bozeman).

The press conference will kick off April as National Child Abuse Prevention Month. We will be announcing the sale of specially designed yard signs and pinwheels to help raise funds for our Youth and Family Outreach Program. We will also be discussing events and activities taking place in Gallatin County throughout the month of April to help raise awareness and support our local youth affected by child abuse and neglect.

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PRESS RELEASE

WEST YELLOWSTONE SNOWMOBILE CRASH

On March 17, 2023 at 4:45 pm, the West Yellowstone Dispatch Center received a call for a snowmobiler who crashed into a tree, disabling the snowmobile, near the West Yellowstone Airport. The snowmobiler was uninjured but needed assistance getting out of the woods. Gallatin County Sheriff Search and Rescue – West Yellowstone Section responded to the scene on snowmobiles, assessed the rider at the scene, and returned the snowmobiler to town.

Sheriff Dan Springer would like to remind riders that spring temperatures will create varying trail conditions requiring an extra level of caution in controlling snowmobiles. Be prepared for groomed snow to unexpectedly turn to ice or slush. In this event, the snowmobiler was wearing appropriate “personal protective equipment” which ensured the accident did not result in injury to the rider.

Photos courtesy of the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office.

On March 15, 2023, at approximately 10:15 am, a multi-vehicle crash which included 6 vehicles and a semi-truck fully blocked Gallatin Road/US-191 at mile marker 66. A Gallatin County Sheriff’s deputy first arrived on scene at 10:48 am. At 11:23 am, Montana Department of Transportation closed Gallatin Road until the hazard could be cleared.  Due to the crash, approximately 6 miles of northbound traffic was backed up in the canyon. There were no injuries reported.  Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office assisted the Big Sky Fire Department, and Montana Highway Patrol to man the roadblock at Gallatin Road and Lone Mountain Trail. Information regarding the closure was distributed by multiple first responding agencies to the appropriate local media outlets to alert the public of the closure.  At approximately 2:38 pm, the hazard was cleared and the canyon was patrolled to ensure the road was safe to reopen.  There were 16 traffic incidents in the Big Sky area due to the weather between 7:00 am and 3:00 pm with no injuries reported.

Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer would like to remind travelers to always be prepared for changing weather conditions and hazardous roads.  Plan ahead and use alternate routes whenever possible.

For immediate release: March 15, 2023

Media contact:
Dustin Lensing, Chief of Belgrade Police Department
dlensing@belgrademt.gov
406-388-4262

Search Warrant Served on Belgrade Residence

In the morning hours of March 12, 2023, the joint Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office/Bozeman Police Department Special Response Team (SRT) assisted by members of Belgrade Police Department, Montana Highway Patrol, Montana State University Police Department, Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office, Bozeman Police Department, and the Missouri River Drug Task Force (MRDTF) served a warrant on a Dakota Street residence in Belgrade. The operation was part of an ongoing investigation led by MRDTF.

SRT used distraction devices, vehicle PA systems, and other forms of electronic communication to contact the occupants of the residence. All members of the residence were eventually safely secured. No one was injured and no shots were fired during the incident. The residence was secured shortly after 9 a.m. and turned over to detectives and patrol, who completed a search of the residence.

Local law enforcement would like to thank the Belgrade community for its continued support as we work together to keep our community safe.

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Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer advises travelers to avoid non-essential travel on US-191 in Gallatin Canyon due to continued hazardous driving conditions.  There have been numerous traffic accidents causing blockages and major delays throughout the day.  Do not travel Hwy 191 if at all possible.

PRESS RELEASE

Highland Glen Ski Trail Rescue

On March 11, 2023, at 3:46pm Gallatin County Dispatch received a 911 call for a cross country skier on the Highland Glen Ski Trail who had a possible broken leg.  The patients skiing partner stayed with them and provided updates to responding units but needed assistance getting the patient off the trail.

 

Gallatin County Sheriff Search and Rescue volunteers from the Valley Section responded to the trail after Bozeman Fire personnel requested their assistance transporting the patient.Search and Rescue volunteers deployed with a tracked Side by Side to the skier’s location.  The patient was transported off the ski trail and transferred to an awaiting AMR ambulance. The patient was ultimately transported to Bozeman Health Deaconess Regional Medical Center for further evaluation.

 

Sheriff Springer would like to remind recreationalists that accidents can happen anywhere and anytime.  Always recreating with a partner and having a communication device can greatly help emergency responders, should your adventure not go as planned.

 

Photos courtesy of Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office.

For immediate release: March 10, 2023

Media contact:
Whitney Bermes, Gallatin County Communications Coordinator
406-595-8963
whitney.bermes@gallatin.mt.gov

Gallatin County Hosting Open House for Discussion on Paved Pathway Between Bozeman and Four Corners

Gallatin County wants to improve safety along Huffine Lane and we need your support and input!

The Triangle Trails Plan identifies a Primary Commuter Pathway along Huffine Lane from Four Corners to Bozeman. Gallatin County is applying for a grant to support planning and building this paved, separated pathway along Huffine from approximately Circle F Trail to Cottonwood Road. This priority project would close a nearly three-mile gap in connectivity.

The grant is through the Montana Transportation Alternatives Program. The county’s application is due in April. The county can apply for up to $3 million to help with this project.

Gallatin County invites community input on the need, priority connections to and design of the pathway. The application also includes documenting strong community support for the project. We need your voice!

More details about the project can be found here.

 Join us for an open house on Wednesday, March 22 from 5 to 6 PM in the Community Room of the Gallatin County Courthouse (311 W. Main St. in downtown Bozeman). It will also be available on Zoom. 

The event will include an open house, a presentation at 5:30 PM, and time for public comments, questions and suggestions. 

Can’t make it? Submit letters to commission@gallatin.mt.gov.

“When we were developing the Triangle Trails plan, we consistently heard from residents that the Huffine pathway was a top priority,” said Gallatin County Commissioner Jennfier Boyer. “A large portion of our county’s new development is happening in the triangle between Bozeman, Belgrade and Four Corners. We need to ensure safety and connectivity for future development in that area.”

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PRESS RELEASE

Bacon Rind Avalanche

On March 9, 2023 at 4:44 pm, Gallatin County Sheriff Search and Rescue was requested to assist Yellowstone National Park with an avalanche search in the Bacon Rind area on Gallatin Road near mile marker 23. The reporting party was concerned that the slide was recent, and someone could be trapped, so they conducted a search from a safe distance with their avalanche beacon. The skier’s beacon picked up a signal indicating a person with a beacon was possibly in the debris.

To assist Yellowstone National Park, Gallatin County Sheriff Search and Rescue (GCSSAR) activated the Big Sky Section, West Yellowstone Section, Valley Section, Heli Team, SAR Dogs, and SAR Comms. A hasty team of National Park Service Rangers and GCSSAR volunteers responded to the avalanche debris field. The hasty team conducted a thorough beacon search and searched the area with a dog trained for avalanche victim detection. An investigation was conducted to identify vehicles in the area and check on the status of the owners. The Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center was contacted for recent avalanche history in the area. The ground search did not find any indicators of buried victims and the investigation determined there weren’t any vehicles with unaccounted for individuals. With all of these factors considered, the search was concluded.

Sheriff Dan Springer would like to thank the reporting party who saw reason for concern and brought the information to the attention of the National Park Service. With the multitude of recreational opportunities in this area, it is often a member of the public who first recognizes a potential emergency and brings those facts to our attention for investigation. Sheriff Springer would also like to thank the Search and Rescue volunteers who were ready and willing to dedicate their time and effort to conducting a detailed search, ensuring a safe conclusion to this event.